Which solar panels are best rated for hail damage?

Top performers: JA Solar, JinkoSolar, Trina Solar RETC’s hail durability test takes UL and IEC standards testing a step further, exposing solar modules to higher kinetic impact to reflect the risk posed by hail over a 25 or 30-year operating life.

Does rain affect the energy production of crystalline photovoltaic modules?

In this sense, numerous studies have been performed in the past decades to assess the influence on the energy production of crystalline photovoltaic modules of several factors, such as spectral quality of solar irradiance, temperature, wind speed, soiling, snow etc. but so far the effect of rain appears scarcely investigated.

Does rain prevent performance losses on tilted PV modules?

To confirm such results, a specific test carried out on tilted PV modules in urban environment without particular sources of dust (Milan) found that rain operates an effective cleaning of big particles of dust thus preventing significant performance losses.

How much rainfall is needed to clean titled PV modules?

In a specific study on the topic, authors concluded that at least a 20 mm rainfall is needed to clean the surface of titled PV modules in dusty environments, otherwise the system will continue to experience power loss due to the dust and soil disposition.

Does rain affect the performance of c-Si PV modules?

Furthermore, a gap can be identified in literature about the effect of rain on the performance of c-Si PV modules; in fact, in literature the only well-studied correlation among rain and PV productivity is related to the cleaning effect in dusty environments [14, 15].

Does rain affect surface cleaning tilted PV modules?

In conclusion, it can be confirmed that rain has a positive impact on the surface cleaning tilted PV modules (i.e., up to 6%), especially in dusty environment and if rainfalls are convective type, thus quite intense.