The 2023 summer hail season in the U.S. recorded 540 hailstorms in June and 305 in July — both surpassing previous records by more than 200%. This year has kept pace. A single day in mid-March 2024 broke the daily record with 106 hail reports. As of May, the country had already seen 317 storms, with spotters reporting hail larger than 2 inches, just over 50 mm, in diameter.
These new record-setting events have severe financial consequences for the solar industry. The latest data shows that despite hail damage representing a mere 1.4% of total claims filed, it accounts for 54% of solar’s loss claims, averaging about $58.4 million each.
As the number of devastating hailstorms and reports of the growing size and thickness of hailstones rise, utility-scale project developers and EPCs concerned with hail’s long-term impacts on solar PV projects are seeking out modules that can withstand larger, denser, and faster hailstones.
Mitigating risks with hail-resistant PV modules
Trinasolar says it is taking hail risks to PV modules – and the solar industry as a whole – extremely seriously. The manufacturer uses advanced PV manufacturing technology and conducts extensive in-house quality control and mechanical testing, including hail tests.
Trinasolar has worked closely with VDE Americas, an industry leader in hail-impact analysis for PV modules, to calculate estimated hail damage to the company’s PV modules in high, medium, and low hail zones. The research and testing also determined the expected average annual loss (AAL) over the system’s lifetime for replaced modules, added labor costs, truck rolls, and other expenses.
Based on the results, Trina determined that its Vertex modules, featuring 3.2 mm glass with a backsheet, provide the best option for hail-resistant solutions. Using VDE’s model assumptions for a 100 MWdc system and a $0.51/W replacement cost (all-in cost: modules, in/out, disposal), Trina’s Vertex modules – at a 60 degree stow angle – saved more than $1 million in AAL compared to standard 2.2 mm modules.
The Vertex modules showed no defects in tests with hailstone sizes:
- 45 mm at a 0 degree tracker stow angle
- 55 mm at a 50 degree tracker stow angle
- 65 mm at a 60 degree tracker stow angle
Additionally, all of Trinasolar’s module models undergo rigorous third-party mechanical testing by leading global authorities like RETC and Kiwa PVEL to confirm their high reliability and performance.
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