hail testing

Hail represents a significant threat to PV modules, more so as climate change increases the potential for severe storms.

Current testing for solar modules is inadequate to account for the rising severity of extreme weather events in North America, according to a report from renewable energy project underwriter GCube Insurance.

PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) has released a new hail test for its PV Module Product Qualification Programme (PQP) and has announced a move of headquarters to Napa, California that sees the independent test lab double its testing capacity.

The cost of insuring operational solar farms has skyrocketed over the course of the year, triggered by carriers rethinking their approaches to natural catastrophes and other extreme weather events. This has placed additional importance on mitigation strategies. Kevin Christy, COO for North America at Lightsource bp, details how the solar developer has adapted its strategy in the field.