Help with information about alternative power sources (solar and wind)?

In my novel, the protagonist is living in the present time but electricity supplies have failed. She moves to a property that has solar panels over most buildings and also some electricity generating windmills. After a cyclone, these alternate power sources fail.
My questions:
1. Would the power supply have stopped suddenly, or is the electricity 'stored' somehow so that it would take some time to be lost?
2. How hard would it be for a lone woman to repair solar panels after a cyclone?
Thank you!