DNV tool predicts hail probability at future solar sites

DNV, an independent energy expert and assurance specialist, has unveiled a service that assesses the probability of hail events at the site of future solar projects across North America, covering a period up to 30 years.

September 17, 2024 Patrick Jowett

Image: PVEL

DNV is offering a new service to solar developers that will assess the potential impact of hail on future solar projects across North America.

The research-backed service, developed in conjunction with Jupiter Intelligence, will provide users with the probability of a hail event for a specific location within the contiguous United States, as well as the probability of the size of the hail.

The service can cover a project’s entire lifetime, up to 30 years. DNV said it will help project owners and developers better anticipate and mitigate risks, protecting investments and ensuring long-term viability.

Extreme hail events have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to solar projects across North America. DNV said this is leading to changes in insurance policies and threatening the financial stability of solar projects. Hailstorm severity is expected to rise with climate change, and research indicates hail events are shifting northward into central and eastern United States, where solar installations are dense.

“Ironically, solar development is now threatened by the thing it is meant to mitigate – climate change – by enabling a transition to clean energy generation,” said Richard S. Barnes, regional president for energy systems North America at DNV. “Understanding and mitigating risks from hailstorms with both technical and financial means will enable the solar industry to continue its current trajectory and take its place as a major source of energy in the future.”

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