UF research team develops system that could provide energy resilience to hurricanes, natural disasters A team of researchers at the University of Florida has developed a system powered by solar energy that uses artificial intelligence to ultimately decrease the cost of keeping essential home appliances or devices running through a power outage. That kind of system would come in handy or even save lives during hurricanes and natural disasters when people can spend days — sometimes weeks — without power, in sweltering homes while food spoils in the fridge. Ultimately, the system would provide, at a lower cost, energy resilience to hurricanes and natural disasters, which have become a more common issue in the face of climate change, said Prabir Barooah, Ph.D., a professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and one of the researchers on the team.