If you live in one of the hail-prone regions in Colorado, like the Front Range or the High Plains, you may worry about the impact of hail on your PV solar system. So how likely are your panels to suffer damage in a severe hailstorm, and what can you do to prevent hail damage on solar panels? The Good News is that Quality Solar Panels Are Highly Durable and very rarely sustain damage from hail.
While it is possible for extremely large hail to damage your solar system, modern solar panels typically withstand hail without ill consequences. According to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in Golden Colorado, the chances of solar panels sustaining hail damage are under 5%, and usually a lot less. Quality solar panels include a layer of extremely durable, impact-tolerant tempered glass designed for outdoor use. Plus the hail rarely strikes the panel directly straight on due to the roof angle compared to the falling hail angle and thus the impact energy is typically a glancing blow to the glass.
While hail can sometimes cause small scratches or dents in the glass, this is usually cosmetic damage that doesn’t affect panel performance. In rare cases, very large hail stones causes cracks on the panel’s surface or jolts the solar cell components, which can harm solar panel performance even if there’s little visible damage.
The reality is their is little that can effectively Prevent Hail Damage on Solar Panels. If severe hail is a common concern in your area you may want to take the following steps:
- Choose quality panels. Solar panels undergo hail impact testing and carry markings of their ability to withstand hail. Panels with IEC 61730 or UL 61730 designations can weather most of Colorado’s hailstorms.
- After a Hail Storm hire a professional solar installer to test the voltages of the panels and visually inspect the glass.
- Be sure your property insurance lists solar photovoltaic panels as covered equipment on your policy.
In 14 years in the solar business I have only seen one hail storm do any damage to any of my thousands of customers. All the dozens of other hail storms that roll through the Front Range each year have been a non event for the solar system. In fact often the asphalt shingles roofs around the solar system are shredded but the solar has not one scratch or dent.
In the off chance you do encounter solar photovoltaic damage during a hail storm 100% of the repair work is covered by the home owner’s property insurance and replacing a broken solar panel is as easy as 4 bolts, 2 wires and a few clips and a new panel is installed in under 30 minutes. Far easier than replacing roof shingles.
