NREL researcher Kate Anderson reviews a PV array damaged by hail at Fort Carson in 2019. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL
VDE Americas and kWh Analytics have released a new form that assesses a solar site’s hail risk and defense capabilities for the upcoming hail season. Multiple, high-profile hail losses have caused insurance challenges for solar assets, fueling the industry to adopt resilience measures, such as deploying thicker glass solar panels that are less prone to cracking. But for insurance carriers to properly evaluate risk mitigation, they need data.
To provide meaningful hail risk evaluation data, VDE Americas and kWh Analytics have jointly developed the Hail Stow and Risk Evaluation tool, an easy-to-use assessment for insurance underwriters and financiers to confirm and monitor hail defense functionality. Ultimately, projects that utilize this form and prove the effectiveness of their resiliency efforts should get insurance credit for doing so. The form and recommendations are based on VDE’s comprehensive best practices for hail defense, which covers, among other things, proactive solar panel stowing, utilization of sector-specific hail forecasting and alert-based hail stow.
Hail stow refers to positioning solar trackers at steep angles during hailstorms to minimize impact and protect solar panels from damage. VDE Americas advises solar projects under construction to put solar trackers, the devices that adjust the tilt of solar panels, into hail stow immediately after panel installation. For projects in operation, the company recommends deploying hail monitoring with redundant regional and site-specific alerts that trigger automated or manual hail stow confirmed by staff after triggering, testing hail stow capabilities prior to need and placing trackers in hail stow position overnight.
kWh Analytics’ and VDE America’s approach to risk modeling leverages radar-based weather data and equipment-specific hail resiliency characteristics to create a data-driven model that rewards resilient design and operational excellence. By incorporating reliable, site-specific hail risk data and equipment performance metrics, this approach creates a more precise risk assessment framework that benefits proactive solar owners and operators.
“As we navigate through a La Niña year with severe hail risk, the threat of damage to solar projects is extraordinary, ” said Nicole Thompson, Senior Manager, Data Science at kWh Analytics. “Our evidence-based premium differentiation rewards projects with proven hail defense strategies, sending an insurance price signal to the industry, and incentivizing the design, construction, and operation of more resilient solar assets.”
kWh Analytics made the Hail Stow and Risk Evaluation form to be easy to use. There is an option to allow insurers to connect with tracker manufacturers and independent engineers directly for project specifics. The Hail Stow and Risk Evaluation framework works alongside VDE Americas’ Hail Risk Intelligence suite to address solar projects’ vulnerabilities to hail. The evaluation provides insurers with standardized criteria to assess hail readiness, while the Intelligence suite equips operators with practical tools — including hail risk engineering reports, a Hail Risk Atlas with ArcGIS mapping, technical guidance for stow procedures and forensic analysis capabilities. Together, these resources help solar projects both strengthen their resilience against hail damage and demonstrate resilience to insurers.
“Safeguarding energy assets against severe weather risk is critical to maintaining grid stability across the United States,” said Brian Grenko, CEO and president of VDE Americas. “This collaboration transforms how the industry approaches hail risk by establishing clear, actionable guidelines for resilient design and operations, plus an incentive to demonstrate hail defenses are in place and working as expected.”
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