RE: All About Solar Power At Earthship Karuna
I have always wanted to go solar and have slowly been learning more about it. But there is one question, no one has ever been able to answer for me. How well do the panels hold up to strong winds and hail?
I bought this place 11 years ago this week. We have had to replace the roof twice. Once because a tornado took a small portion of the roof off, but the rest was severely damaged by hail. The 2nd time, a down burst broke half a tree off and dropped it on the house. That didn't do a lot of damage and could have been easily fixed, but the hail damaged the remainder of the roof and the whole thing had to be replaced again. We get hail that doesn't cause severe damage several times a year, but I don't know if solar panels could stand up to it.
Any input you might have on the subject would be greatly appreciated!
hi sotall.. sorry to hear about you roof! i think the best answer i have is that the panels are as secure as what they are tied to. The glass on a panel is tempered, and thick enough to withstand just about anything. I ve never heard of a panel being damaged in countries like the netherlands where they have strong hails and winds.
My panels are fixed to the ground above the height of the house, so they are totally secure and can handle any kind of winds.. since they are also angled, the force of any strike from hailstones is reduced..
hope that helps!
Thank you for that input. I am working toward downsizing as this house is just too big. It wouldn't work here anyway because there is zero sunlight from the south thanks to trees I don't own. But when I downsize, a south exposure is at the top of my list!
I know there were several people who saw little to no damage in last season's string of hurricanes, even in Puerto Rico. They now design them to withstand 150 mph winds.