(COLORADO) – Coloradans know a thing or two about weather, especially when it comes to hail. As the state continues to lead the way in the push toward clean energy, it raises an important question: Are solar panels even hail-resistant?
FOX21 Storm Team Meteorologist Nic Temple set out to find answers by interviewing researchers Kirsten Perry, Harrison Dreves, Chris Deline, and Wayne Hicks, from one of the top renewable energy research facilities in the country: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL, located in Golden, is where some of the most advanced testing on solar panel durability takes place.
Researchers at the NREL launch ice balls at radar-recorded speeds into solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, sometimes 10 to 20 times in a row, only increasing hail size once they can withstand the volume. It’s an intense and precise process designed to simulate the worst-case hailstorm scenarios.
The goal? To find out just how much impact these panels can take before they break.
Real-world results
Testing in the lab is one thing, but how do solar panels hold up in the real world? NREL shared a great case study from a 2023 catastrophic hailstorm in Austin, Texas.
NREL overlaid hail size reports with satellite imagery of rooftops with solar panels, documenting exactly where damage occurred, and where it didn’t. In the image below, each gray dot represents a home with no reported solar damage, even with hailstones pounding them.
Check out the case study here.
Of course, there were a few outliers where damage occurred, especially with unusually large hail. But overall, the vast majority of homes with PV systems came out completely unscathed.
Are solar panels hail-proof?
The short answer to whether or not solar panels are hail-proof is, yes, to a point.
Modern solar panels are built and tested to withstand hail up to the sizes typically associated with severe thunderstorm warnings, which is around one inch in diameter or larger. NREL’s research shows that in most cases, panels endure these storms without issue.
Of course, no system is indestructible, and freak catastrophic events do happen. But when it comes to typical Colorado hailstorms, you can feel confident that your solar investment is built to hold up.
