Solar

FTC Solar’s new automatic hail stow solution aims to protect solar panels from the elements

FTC Solar’s new automatic hail stow solution aims to protect solar panels from the elements
(FTC Solar's 1P single axis tracker Pioneer. Credit: FTC Solar)

FTC Solar, a provider of solar energy solutions, announced the launch of its Automated Hail Stow Solution, aimed at minimizing solar panel damage caused by hail storms.

The solution integrates meteorological data to automatically adjust the positioning of solar panels to reduce the risk of hail-related damage.

FTC Solar collaborated with VDE Americas to study hail events and their impact on solar panel installations. The research led to the development of a hail stow strategy that positions solar modules at the maximum angle allowed by the tracker, away from prevailing winds, to minimize direct hail and associated wind impacts.

Key features of FTC’s Automated Hail Stow Solution include:

  • Integration with FTC’s proprietary operations management platform, SUNOPS, for control and monitoring of PV plants;
  • Utilization of meteorological data combined with hail stow strategy;
  • Multi-radar approach for real-time meteorological data updates;
  • Ability for users to choose between auto-stow or manual stow options;
  • Notification feature to warn users of impending hail events;
  • Customizable stow thresholds based on risk appetite and site location, including factors such as hail size, probability, and radius;
  • Compatibility with leading meteorological data providers

“We’re excited to introduce our Automated Hail Stow Solution, offering a proactive approach to mitigating hail-related damage to solar panel installations,” said Andrew Morse, Senior Director of Software at FTC Solar. “By combining advanced technology with meteorological insights, we aim to provide our customers with greater peace of mind and protection for their solar assets.”

Hail storms pose a threat to solar panel installations, with insurance claims in the US averaging about $58.4 million per incident.

Episode 51 of the Factor This! podcast features Jason Kaminsky, CEO of the clean energy insurance provider kWh Analytics. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Hail is becoming a prominent issue for the PV industry as more sites are being built in the central U.S. — a hail-prone region — and modules are moving towards larger formats with thinner glass. To mitigate the damage that hail can cause, moving panels into hail stow is an effective technique. However, since doing so requires moving the panels out of the optimal production angle, there is concern that utilizing hail stow will lead to a material loss of revenue.

According to kWh Analytics, moving panels into hail stow mode, where trackers are placed in a high degree tilt to reduce the impact energy of hailstones, is an effective mitigation technique that can reduce property insurance premiums up to 35%.

The firm modeled the revenue impact of a hail stow program to a 200 MW single-axis tracker site in Texas using PVLib and the National Solar Radiation Database.

The firm found that, assuming a $22/MWh PPA, moving into hail stow during extreme weather events throughout the year resulted in a production loss of $12,000 or 0.1% of the asset’s $9.75 million estimated annual revenue. However, the hail stow program resulted in a property insurance premium reduction of $2 million per year.

“The choice is clear: stow early and stow often when there is a chance of severe weather near your PV project,” the report’s authors wrote.

The report also noted that, based on RETC testing and modeling, PV modules with 3.2 mm tempered front glass over a polymer backsheet are approximately twice as resilient to impact as dual-glass modules with 2.0 mm heat-strengthened glass.

Additionally, PVEL analysis determined that glass//glass modules, which are steadily gaining market share with the popularity of bifacial modules, are more than twice as likely to break compared to glass//backsheet modules.

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