hail

A record of 53 manufacturers and 388 module types have been named “Top Performers” by Kiwa PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) in its 2024 Module Reliability Scorecard.

FTC Solar has launched its Automated Hail Stow Solution, an automated programme to stow PV modules ahead of hailstorms.

We speak to kWh Analytics CEO Jason Kaminsky about the use of data in the assessment and management of risk at solar projects.

Hailstorms have hit the 350MW Fighting Jays solar project, raising questions about the solar industry’s ability to respond to extreme weather.

Hail represents a significant threat to PV modules, more so as climate change increases the potential for severe storms.

Jonathan Touriño Jacobo looks at some of the latest developments underpinning trackers’ growing status as an indispensable ingredient in solar’s continued growth.

James Elsworth of the NREL in the US looks at some of the engineering methods for bolstering PV infrastructure resilience in the face of ever increasing climatic and environmental threats.

Aside from the immediate, visible damage, extreme weather events have a longer lasting impact on PV systems. NREL’s Dirk C. Jordan, Kirsten Perry, Robert White, Josh Parker, Byron McDanold and Chris Deline report on research revealing the long-term consequences of hail, wind and other weather phenomena on PV production.

PV Tech spoke with Jinko’s Victor Wei and Wally Zang, Senior IR Director and Technical Service Centre  General Manager respectively, about the company’s investment in TOPCon, its fully vertically integrated plant currently being built in China’s Shanxi province and how it is looking at module products for deployment in offshore solar projects subject to hail conditions.

AI-based monitoring systems can help PV plant operators understand and manage the impacts of extreme conditions in a multitude of ways. George Heynes looks at some of the ways AI is being harnessed to bolster system output and longevity.