As areas of New York and New Jersey work to rebound from 2012’s catastrophic storm, our leaders should strive to invest in infrastructure that makes us more resilient in the face of future disasters. Taking advantage of the tens of thousands of solar projects already installed over the last several years and accelerating support for new installations — this time with storage — should be a key component of plans for rebuilding.

Typically, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are designed to shut down for safety reasons when utility power is interrupted. However, when PV systems are paired with battery storage, they are able to operate and generate power during outages — and store energy for use at night.