Needless to say, Texas weather can be brutal, especially in the spring, and summer and occasionally in the fall…but the winters are nice..unless it ices. So reality check, weather in Texas is rough, it’s hot in the summer, late summer/fall can send hurricanes spinning at us, winter ice storms are not uncommon and of course spring storms can produce torrential flooding and and hail storms. What about hail and solar panels, if you have a solar system in place, you already know the answer. If you have been putting off solar with a hail storm concern, here is the reality.

Hail and Solar Panels

The real truth is, solar panels will generally hold up better than most roofs when it comes to hail storms and the potential of busted and/or cracked panels. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) most panels can hold up to most any hail storm or hurricane force winds for that matter. The NREL works closely with the U.S. Department of Energy in ensuring that solar panels continue to function and and maintain a level of durability across all manufacturers. The NREL is continuously testing durability of panels, going as far as shooting ping pong ball sized ice at panels at speeds of 70 mph or more just to test their durability.

these test are not only based on pressure or impact durability such as hail storms, but also extremes in other areas such as heat and freezing extremes as well as other weather related conditions such as humidity and lightning that can effect other energy sources.

Rest assured, we here at Solar Electric Texas, use only top rated panels in our installations in your home solar panel systems. Panels that meet the or exceed the test we discussed above, and have no issue when it comes to hail wind or the coming summer heat!