kWh Analytics has expanded its insurance solutions with new Excess Natural Catastrophe coverage, through its licensed insurance entity Solar Energy Insurance Services, specifically addressing the growing need for severe convective storm protection in the renewable energy market.
This new offering complements kWh Analytics’ existing property capacity, which provides 100% operational and construction coverage for solar, wind and battery energy storage assets. The Excess Natural Catastrophe layer will provide up to $20 million in additional capacity specifically covering damage from severe convective storms and named windstorms in non-coastal regions.
“Our loss database reveals that hail accounts for 73% of total solar industry losses by damage amount,” said Jason Kaminsky, CEO of kWh Analytics. “As renewable projects grow in size and tax-equity investors and lenders require higher insurance limits, we’re addressing a critical market gap with this specialized excess layer solution.”
A cornerstone of kWh Analytics’ approach is rewarding resilience through its underwriting process. Projects that implement protective measures such as hail stow capabilities, reinforced module characteristics including glass thickness, and proper O&M protocols will benefit in the excess layer, just as they do in primary coverage.
“Resilience should be rewarded at every level of coverage,” said Isaac McLean, Chief Underwriting Officer at kWh Analytics. “Our Excess Natural Catastrophe offering evaluates the same resilience factors we consider in primary coverage, and we request asset owners and sponsors provide us details of their hardening strategies so we can appropriately credit their risk mitigation efforts.”
To provide a standardized framework for evaluating hail resilience and offer insurance credit for protective measures, kWh Analytics and VDE Americas have developed the Hail Stow and Risk Evaluation tool. This assessment examines critical factors, including panel specifications, tracker stow angles, forecasting systems, and testing protocols. Projects demonstrating robust hail defense strategies through this evaluation can secure more favorable terms, even in the excess layer.
News item from kWh Analytics
