3 ms·
I reckon you could suspend a net above each solar panel. Just make the gaps a bit smaller than the diameter of a hailstone that would cause damage. That'd be q
by starwatch 3y ago
I reckon you could suspend a net above each solar panel. Just make the gaps a bit smaller than the diameter of a hailstone that would cause damage.
That'd be quite a bit cheaper.
- MisterTea 3y agoNets have their own issues as they can ensnare birds and trap debris blown around by the wind.
- dredmorbius 3y agoNets which could be deployed (manually or automatically) during periods of high-risk for hail might be an alternative. Minimises the risks you highlight, maximises protection of the solar panels themselves. In this case, the netting need not even be particularly transparent. You're looking for loss-minimisation, rather than maximising electrical production at all times. So a fairly thick or heavy webbing might work. Keep in mind that as the damage inflicted increases with the kinetic energy, that is, with the square of velocity, even a net or webbing which permitted contact of hail with panels but at significantly reduced speed should serve to avoid most damage.
- sparrish 3y agoI think you'd need a kevlar net to catch baseball sized hail going 150mph and that won't be cheap.