North Queensland storm season

Cyclone-Ready Solar & Batteries in North Queensland

Cyclones, heat and summer storms are part of life up here. Here’s how a solar and battery system should be built to cop it, and what to do when the weather turns.

Townsville is in a cyclone wind region

Australia’s wind code, AS/NZS 1170.2, splits the country into wind regions. Townsville sits in Region C, a cyclonic region. That means everything bolted to your roof, including solar panels, has to be designed for cyclone-strength wind.

Region D is the highest rating. It mostly covers parts of the WA coast, not Townsville. Your exact design wind also depends on your site: how high the roof is, how open the land is around you, and whether you’re on a hill.

Mounting that’s rated for the wind

Panels sit on rails, and the rails are fixed to your roof with brackets. In Region C those fixings have to be closer together than they would be in Brisbane or Melbourne.

Every racking brand publishes engineering tables. They set the maximum gap between roof fixings for your wind region, roof height and roof type.
Panels near the edges and corners of a roof get hit hardest by wind, so those zones need tighter fixing.
Fixings must go into solid timber or steel underneath, not just the roof sheet.

We follow the manufacturer’s Region C tables on every job. No guessing, no “near enough”.

Check the roof before the panels go on

Solar is only as strong as the roof under it. Research from James Cook University found panels can add load to the roof’s batten connections, so the roof itself has to be up to it. Before we install, we look for:

Rusty or loose roof screws, and sheets that lift or rattle
Rotten or cracked battens and rafters
Older roofs that may not meet current cyclone tie-down rules

If something’s not right, we’ll tell you straight. It’s cheaper to fix a roof before the panels go on than after.

Where the battery goes matters

Batteries don’t love heat. Battery makers set temperature limits in their install manuals, and the Australian battery install standard (AS/NZS 5139) controls where a battery can and can’t go.

Our rule: we always install batteries out of direct sun. We also consider flood height in installations as much as possible.

A shaded wall, carport or garage usually works best in Townsville.
Keep the area around the battery clear so air can move.
Living near a creek or in a low spot? Tell us your known flood height and we’ll plan around it.

What happens in a blackout or storm

Solar on its own switches off in a blackout. This is a safety rule, so line workers aren’t hurt by power flowing back into the grid. Even on a sunny day, standard solar won’t run your house when the grid is down.

A battery with backup can keep the lights on. Not every battery does this. It needs a backup set-up, and you choose which circuits it covers, like the fridge, lights and Wi-Fi, or the whole house. With solar topping it up during the day, a battery can carry you through a long outage.

When a cyclone warning is issued, follow Ergon and the SES. Our CatchPower monitoring lets you, and us, see how your system is going from your phone.

Top up your battery before a storm

When a cyclone or big storm is on the way, you want your battery full before the power drops out. Most batteries have a setting for this. It’s usually called “backup reserve” or “Storm Watch”. Storm Watch only kicks in for serious warnings, so for a cyclone it’s worth setting it by hand too. Set it a day or two before the weather hits, so your solar (or the grid) has time to fill it up.

Tesla Powerwall Tesla app

Easy way: Storm Watch

Open the Tesla app and tap Settings.
Tap Storm Watch and turn it on.
When the Bureau of Meteorology issues a warning for your area, like a cyclone, severe storm or flood warning, Powerwall charges itself to full. Check your home address is right in Storm Watch.
Want to do it yourself? In Storm Watch, tap Schedule Event, pick how long, then tap Schedule.

Note: Storm Watch needs your phone paired with the Powerwall and grid charging switched on. If yours is off, give us a call.

Manual way: Backup Reserve

Tap Settings, then Powerwall.
Slide Backup Reserve up to 100%.

Sigenergy mySigen app

Open the mySigen app and tap Settings.
Tap Backup Reserve (“Reserve Energy for Grid Outage”).
Set it to 100%. The battery now holds its charge until the power goes out.
Easy way: turn on Storm Watch (in Settings → Backup Reserve). When a storm is forecast, it charges the battery to 100% and holds it there. Update the app first if you can’t see it.

Note: Backup Reserve only shows up if your system has a Sigen Gateway.

SolaX SolaXCloud app

Open the SolaXCloud app and tap your system.
Tap System at the bottom, then Mode Settings.
Choose Backup mode.
Set Charge battery to 100%. Set Min SOC high, too (that’s the lowest the battery will go while the grid is on).
Set the charge times, then tap Save.

Switch it back after the storm. Once the power’s back and the storm has passed, put your settings back to normal. If you leave the battery on 100% reserve, it won’t power your home at night and your power bills will go up.

App menus change with updates, so your screens might look a bit different. Stuck? Call the Barra team on 07 4401 5122 and we’ll walk you through it.

After the storm: what to check

Stay safe first. Solar panels make power whenever light hits them, even when they’re damaged and the grid is off. Never touch broken panels, loose cables or a wet battery or inverter.

Look from the ground. Check for panels that have shifted, lifted or cracked.
Check your monitoring app. A sudden drop or fault code is a red flag.
If anything looks wrong, turn the system off using the shutdown steps on your switchboard label, then call a licensed electrician.
If water reached the battery or inverter, don’t turn it back on. Get it checked first.
Take photos for your insurer before anything gets moved.

Not sure if it’s all OK? Our $99 system check gives your panels, inverter and battery a proper once-over.

Common questions

What wind region is Townsville in?

Townsville is in wind Region C under AS/NZS 1170.2. It’s a cyclonic region, so solar mounting has to be designed for cyclone-strength wind.

Will my solar panels survive a cyclone?

Panels on rated racking, fixed to the maker’s Region C spacing and into a sound roof, are built to handle the design wind for your site. Poor fixing or a weak roof is where things go wrong, so a good install and a roof check matter most.

Does solar work during a blackout?

Not on its own. Solar shuts off when the grid goes down, for safety. To keep power on, you need a battery with backup set up.

Where should a battery go in Townsville?

Out of direct sun, with air around it. We consider flood height in installations as much as possible. A shaded wall, carport or garage usually works best. We always install batteries out of direct sun.

Is it safe to touch solar panels after a storm?

No. Damaged panels can still make power in daylight. Stay clear, turn the system off at the switchboard if it’s safe to, and call a licensed electrician.

Keep reading

Want a system built for up here?

We’re a local Townsville crew with a 10-year workmanship warranty and 4.9 stars from 162 Google reviews. Get in touch or call 07 4401 5122.