A very common question we are asked is, can solar panels withstand hail? With solar panels on your roof being right in the line of fire from hail, it’s an important question to ask! Here is the answer.
Quality solar panels are made from tempered glass just like the windscreen of your car. Tempered glass is anything up to six times the strength of normal plate glass. It’s created by thermal or chemical means and is tested to withstand the impact of normal hailstones and snow loads on the panels (not that snow is a real issue here on the Gold Coast!) When tempered glass does break, it shatters into small pieces rather than into large, razor-sharp shards as standard plate glass does.
Solar Panels and hail, what about HUGE hail?!
There is a limit to what you’d call a “normal hailstone”, and occasionally hail storms come through with extremely large hail. In these cases, there’s a good (or should I say bad) chance that some solar panels may be smashed. To be honest though, when extremely large hail hits the roof that your panels are mounted on will probably be pretty smashed too! And what about your car? Large hail will pulverise every panel if you’re unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
To mitigate this risk, after you install a solar power system we recommend letting your home and contents insurance provider know. They can note the system on your policy, so if you ever need to make a claim against it, you’re covered! If you haven’t let them know about your solar there’s a chance they may try and get out of repairing any damage as they hadn’t included it on the policy.
Solar panels and hail – Conclusion
So in conclusion, yes solar panels are made to withstand hail. However, when extremely large hail stones come down anything they hit is going to be damaged. But hey, that’s what insurance is for, isn’t it?
So let your insurance company know about your solar panels, and if you need them give them a call!
