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how to protect solar panels from hail

Solar  panels  are elements that are outdoors and therefore are susceptible to receiving the  impact of natural elements  that can cause damage to their surface. To avoid this, solar panel manufacturers make sure that their products are very resistant and can withstand these impacts without being damaged.

Are my solar panels resistant to hail?

There are different certifications that allow you to know if the surface of the solar panels can withstand inclement weather, including hail. A hailstorm could cause serious damage to the  solar panels  and spoil the surface, causing their efficiency to drop. But currently, this does not represent a problem, since  solar panels  resist these problems without problems.

hail resistant solar panels

The impact resistance of  solar panels  is guaranteed by several quality certificates. In Europe, the most widely used is the  IEC 61215 quality certificate . To achieve this certification, several tests are carried out, among them,  203-gram ice balls are launched  with a gun.

These balls  are thrown at a speed of 39.5 m/s  and then the plate is checked for degradation. This must be less than 5% in order to achieve  IEC 61215 certification , so the integrity of the solar panels can be guaranteed  . In fact, most  manufacturers’ solar panels  pass this test with ease and achieve quality certification.

The tests carried out on the  solar panels  of most manufacturers guarantee that the quality of the solar panels is very high and that it can be trusted not only that they will  resist the impact of hail , but that they have a quality that guarantees their durability. efficiency throughout its long service life.

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Solarcas  guarantees the quality of the solar panels it installs, so you can be totally sure that the  solar panels will  withstand the impact of hail without being damaged.

Can hail damage solar panels?

With more and more talk about weather anomalies related to the climate crisis, current and potential owners of photovoltaic installations are wondering how extreme weather conditions can affect a large energy investment.

Can hail damage solar panels? This is an unrealistic scenario, but it pays to know how to protect yourself against such an eventuality.

Can hail damage solar panels?

Hail can destroy photovoltaic panels. While the upbeat articles on the renewable energy website provide numerous examples of disaster-resilient wind farms, these were worst-case installations. House panels are not that durable, so even in Poland there have been cases of individual modules with broken glass in recent years.

However, it must be emphasized that reports of such situations can be counted on the fingers of one hand, even despite the ever-increasing number of photovoltaic installations. Hail that could damage roof panels is extremely rare in Poland. When a hailstone with a diameter of about 14 cm was recorded in Tomaszów Mazowiecki in June 2021, it was a great surprise for meteorologists. Previous record rainfall in our country did not exceed 7-10 cm in diameter. They also belonged to the peculiarities.

Hail should not damage standard PV panels as long as the diameter of the individual balls hitting the module panels does not exceed 2-3 cm. Increased precipitation should not be expected outside the small area of ​​just over 130 hail trails, which, contrary to popular opinion, do not increase at all in Poland. What does it mean that most facility owners in Poland should not be afraid of such threats?

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Protection of photovoltaic panels against hail

Admission to the sale of photovoltaic modules is subject to compliance with certain regulations. In the case of the European Union and Poland, they are designated by the IEC 61215 certificate, which is granted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). One of the most important steps in the procedure for obtaining it is the hail resistance test.

The standard procedure in this case is to expose the module to ice balls with a diameter of 12.5 to even 75 mm, which are fired at a speed of 16 to 39.5 m/s. Resistance to the smallest hail is enough to pass the test, but solid solar panels can cope with 45mm balls falling at speeds of up to 30m/s. However, after each hailstorm, it is advisable to take an interest in the state of the installation.

What to do with photovoltaic panels after hail?

As soon as the weather calms down, it’s worth taking a closer look at the panels, especially if the area has been hit by an extremely nasty hail storm. Generally, a cursory inspection should be enough to see if there is any obvious damage to the glass at any point. If it didn’t, you’re probably fine.

What about microdamage to internal cells? Modules protected by a single layer of tempered glass are theoretically exposed to this type of cracks, but in practice their appearance in some cases due to crushing is the result of installer errors, not hail. Particularly careful panel buyers may be tempted to protect double glazing, ie glass-to-glass, although if you are only afraid of hail, that may be overkill.

 

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