Array Technologies launches hail protection product
It’s a solar panel system’s worst nightmare: a hail storm. Array Technologies last week announced it was offering a new product, Hail Alert Response, which relies on patented technology invented in Albuquerque. It’s groundbreaking software designed to autonomously protect solar panels from hail.
“These are large panels of glass . ... So just like a windshield in a hail storm or anything in a hail storm, there’s the propensity for damage if the hail is large enough,” said Aaron Gabelnick, Array’s chief strategy and technology officer. “... So it’s imperative and very important to put the solar system in as safe of mode as possible.”
The product has been on the market for about two months.
“Array is constantly seeking innovative ways to add value and long-term cost savings for our customers, by enhancing the resilience and performance of solar energy systems,” Kevin G. Hostetler, the CEO at Array, said in a news release. “With our patented Hail Alert Response, we’re offering our clients an exceptional layer of protection against the unpredictability of weather, while ensuring that solar projects remain productive and secure via encryption.”
Array started manufacturing solar tracker technology in Albuquerque more than 30 years ago and went public in 2020 under the symbol ARRY. The company’s stock was went up about 7% the day it announced the launch of Hail Alert Response.
Potential customers, Gabelnick said, are companies with large solar energy system in Texas through the Great Plains, where hailstorms are more frequent. Existing solar systems can implement the technology, or it could be built into new systems.
The problem of hail in the solar industry has always existed.
“I think it’s always been an issue, it’s just that the solar sites have gotten larger and larger,” he said. “So there are more sites and you get the sort of higher risk for a catastrophic event happening.”
The worst case scenario is for a solar panel to be essentially flat during a hailstorm, he said.
The Hail Alert Response changes that angle to put the panels at 52 degrees. It can also shift the panels so that their back is to the storm.
The product relies on patented technology from Array that uses a third-party source that tells the solar system to go into protection mode when a hailstorm is approaching. Array is working with a company, DTN, which works in the aerospace industry.
Gabelnick said insurance companies have reported that hail damage make up less than 2% of reported incidents at solar sites that lead to insurance claims. But hail damage is responsible for over 50% of insurance payments.
“It’s rare that an event occurs, but when it does occur and causes damage, it’s catastrophic.”
The new product was created at Array’s Albuquerque headquarters.
“Hail is a very important issue for the industry in general and for the success of the solar industry in the United States,” Gabelnick said. “Being in the safest mode possible during hail storms is really the goal for any owner of a system.”