hail

Hailstorms have hit the 350MW Fighting Jays solar project, raising questions about the solar industry’s ability to respond to extreme weather.

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

Jonathan Touriño Jacobo looks at some of the latest developments underpinning trackers’ growing status as an indispensable ingredient in solar’s continued growth.

James Elsworth of the NREL in the US looks at some of the engineering methods for bolstering PV infrastructure resilience in the face of ever increasing climatic and environmental threats.

Aside from the immediate, visible damage, extreme weather events have a longer lasting impact on PV systems. NREL’s Dirk C. Jordan, Kirsten Perry, Robert White, Josh Parker, Byron McDanold and Chris Deline report on research revealing the long-term consequences of hail, wind and other weather phenomena on PV production.

PV Tech spoke with Jinko’s Victor Wei and Wally Zang, Senior IR Director and Technical Service Centre  General Manager respectively, about the company’s investment in TOPCon, its fully vertically integrated plant currently being built in China’s Shanxi province and how it is looking at module products for deployment in offshore solar projects subject to hail conditions.

AI-based monitoring systems can help PV plant operators understand and manage the impacts of extreme conditions in a multitude of ways. George Heynes looks at some of the ways AI is being harnessed to bolster system output and longevity.

Hail claims have averaged nearly US$58.4 million per claim, according to a report from renewable energy project underwriter GCube Insurance.

According to Spanish tracker provider Soltec, hailstorms resulted in construction-related losses exceeding US$1 billion in 2021 in the US.

Nextracker explains how its new products were made with a focus to the increased diversity of projects locations and weather conditions.