A very common question asked is can solar panels withstand hail?

Recently on the 22nd December 2018 Sydney had a severe hail storm, and this question was emphatically answered with hundreds of roof mounted solar panels being completely smashed beyond repair, and needing to be replaced.

The end resulted was that the home owners who had included their solar panels in their home and contents insurance policies had to put in insurance claims with a waiting period of several months before needing to get new solar roof panels re-installed, and of course also having to pay the insurance claim excess resulting in an increased premium and often with the additional installation costs and downtime.

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The unfortunate home owners that did not include their solar panels in their home and contents insurance policies lost their total solar panel investment.

 

Extreme weather conditions are becoming more common in Australia and globally due to global climate change, and so it is expected that severe hail storms will become a more frequent weather event.

 

The cheaper brands of Solar Roof Panels are made from plate glass which is easily smashed in light or moderate hail storms.

 

The more expensive brands of Solar Roof Panels are made from safety tempered glass which is approximately six times (6x) stronger than regular plate glass.

 

‘Superbright Solar Panels™’ and ‘Solar Shutters®’ are made from polycarbonate material layers which are approximately twenty times (x20) stronger and more smash resistant than the expensive solar panel brands that use safety tempered glass.

 

Therefore it makes commercial sense to install the ‘Superbright Solar Panels’ on both roof top and Wall Cladding applications as well as the ‘Solar Shutters’ on the outside of the windows and to enclose external balconies, both providing extreme weatherproof protection.