kwh analytics

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

The renewable industry is facing a perfect storm of factors leading to tighter business interruption and equipment breakdown insurance terms.

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

Climate insurance provider kWh Analytics has published a report detailing the three types of risk that solar developers could face, including extreme weather, financial modelling and operations.

Property insurance for a solar project, having been an easy “check the box” issue 10 years ago, is fast becoming a top credit item for securing financing from banks, according to the head of a data analytics and insurtech firm.

San Francisco-based data analytics and insurtech firm kWh Analytics has partnered with Aspen Insurance to launch property insurance for renewable energy assets.

Concerns have been raised that the US solar industry’s reputation could be impacted by underperforming assets if investors do not see their return profiles being realised several years down the line.

US solar assets “are not meeting performance expectations”, according to research from insurer kWh Analytics.

Utility-scale solar in the US remains plagued by underperformance issues as capex costs have risen for the “first time in decades”.

Last year analysis by renewables performance aggregator and insurance provider kWh Analytics highlighted the extent of solar asset underperformance against P50 estimates in the US. Here, the company’s Sarath Srinivasan details some of the reasons behind that underperformance.