{"id":11225,"date":"2017-05-11T08:39:33","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T22:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=11225"},"modified":"2017-05-11T21:45:57","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T11:15:57","slug":"solar-panels-hail-mb0032","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panels-hail-mb0032\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Panels Vs. Nature – Hail"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Solar

In a fight between a fierce hail storm and a bunch of solar panels, who would win? | Image: Google Maps<\/p><\/div>\n

A National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) facility in Golden, Colorado was witness to an unscheduled test provided by Mother Nature of large hailstones pummeling its solar panels.<\/p>\n

According to the Denver Post<\/a>, a hailstorm earlier this week caused chaos across the area and wreaked a massive amount of damage. Hailstones up to 7cm in diameter smashed into cars, infrastructure and people.<\/p>\n

Apparently the onslaught from the heavens may prove to be among the most costly hailstorms to ever hit the Denver area.<\/p>\n

The region is home to the NREL’s Golden, Colorado Laboratories and Offices; which also experienced similar-sized hailstones. CBS Local<\/a> reports that while many vehicles belonging to NREL employees were damaged, the facility’s solar power system fared pretty well.<\/p>\n

Only one module out of the 3,168 solar panels on NREL\u2019s Research Support Facility sustained damage.<\/p>\n

Solar panels need to be able to withstand 25mm diameter hailstones weighing 7.53 grams traveling at a velocity 23 metres per second (82.8 kilometres per hour) per international standards (IEC61215). Particularly good quality modules in this regard will withstand larger hail traveling at a faster speed.*<\/p>\n

According to TUV America<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“The test equipment is a unique launcher capable of propelling various weights of ice balls at the specified velocities so as to hit the module at 11 specified impact locations +\/- 10mm distance variation. The time between the removal of the ice ball from the cold storage container and impact on the module shall not exceed 60s.”<\/p>\n

The following video shows a “quick and dirty” experiment using a high-pressure pneumatic cannon loaded with ice, plastic and metal balls.<\/p>\n