[Action80]

This is why this shit does not make sense:


I mean, why would the geniuses who think this is necessary, not have the intelligence to not put shields^TM in place for just such an event?

Tarps anyone?

Bueller?...Bueller?...Bueller?

[Lord Dave]

This is why this shit does not make sense:


I mean, why would the geniuses who think this is necessary, not have the intelligence to not put shields^TM in place for just such an event?

Tarps anyone?

Bueller?...Bueller?...Bueller?

A tarp?  Really?
You think a 3" chunk of ice hurtling at 90mph is gonna be stopped by a tarp?

Here, this will help.
https://www.wired.com/story/solar-energy-hale-protection/

[Action80]

The remedy proposal in your submission is not helpful to farms that were not constructed in such a way.

A loose tarp would simply allow the hail to either gather, bounce off, or otherwise slow it down enough, so as to not damage the panel.

[Lord Dave]

The remedy proposal in your submission is not helpful to farms that were not constructed in such a way.

A loose tarp would simply allow the hail to either gather, bounce off, or otherwise slow it down enough, so as to not damage the panel.

If it was suspended on poles, sure.  But how long would it take to set it up?  And how much warning do you get about damaging hail in Texas? 

[DuncanDoenitz]

Any smart commercial PV installation should have electric actuators to maintain correct alignment of the panels as the Sun transits.  Should be easy enough to rotate the panels so the delicate PV membrane is underneath during inclement periods.  Shields on the back of the panel to protect; propeller aircraft use kevlar or GFRP to protect the fuselage from ice shed by the blades, and those suckers are near supersonic. 

And if it's a well designed installation this "shit" makes perfect sense; once you've bought it (mine came with the house) your power is free, then you don't need to import electricity from a rip-off northern neighbour (if you have one). 

[Action80]

Individual stations for solar are dandy. They make perfect sense.

It is these mass solar and wind farms that are fucked, especially with incidents like these.

[TommyLee]

Individual solar stations are practical, but large-scale farms come with challenges, especially when disasters strike.

[Lord Dave]

Individual stations for solar are dandy. They make perfect sense.

It is these mass solar and wind farms that are fucked, especially with incidents like these.

I mean... its probably easier and cheaper for one company to buy 50 panels in bulk than for 50 homes to buy one panel.

[Action80]

Not if you cannot keep them operational. A communist approach to this makes no sense, unless it is totally free to build and receive.

[Lord Dave]

Not if you cannot keep them operational. A communist approach to this makes no sense, unless it is totally free to build and receive.

True but I suspect the idea of buying in bulk helps.  Plus being able to negotiate a lower price or tax write offs for business expenses relating to it.