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VDE’s rigorous testing protocol measures photo voltaic panel resiliency towards real-world hailstorm circumstances to higher defend essential energy infrastructure towards catastrophic extreme convective storm harm.
VDE Americas and RETCa part of the VDE Group, at this time launched the Hail Resiliency Curve (HRC) Take a look at, a groundbreaking take a look at protocol designed to guage photo voltaic panel resilience towards hail harm. The modern HRC Take a look at represents a major development over present {industry} normal testing by characterizing resiliency throughout a broad spectrum of affect energies and testing merchandise to failure.
Not like present hail certification assessments for photo voltaic panels, the HRC Take a look at simulates real-world hailstorm circumstances the place photo voltaic panels face quite a few impacts from a spread of hailstone sizes and wind speeds throughout extreme hailstorms. The take a look at entails firing a collection of small to massive hailstones at low to excessive speeds at photo voltaic panels representing particular fashions and types till glass fracture happens, which supplies photo voltaic builders, homeowners and operators correct knowledge for a panel’s ‘breaking level.’
The brand new HRC protocol permits:
- Photo voltaic panel producers to optimize hail-hardened product designs and display their efficiency benefits relative to traditional merchandise;
- Mission builders to carry out cost-benefit analyses of various photo voltaic panels and tracker tilt angle (generally known as hail stow) mixtures to mitigate hail harm danger; and
- Insurance coverage suppliers to appropriately rightsize hail harm protection and premiums based mostly on empirical knowledge quite than hypothesis.
VDE Americas, a world chief in technical advisory and catastrophic danger evaluation companies, and RETC (Renewable Power Take a look at Heart), a number one certification testing supplier for the photo voltaic {industry}, are leveraging their data and expertise to arm the photo voltaic {industry} with info to higher defend photo voltaic panels from catastrophic hail.
“The photo voltaic {industry} has lengthy wanted a extra rigorous method to hail testing,” stated Cherif Kedir, president and CEO of RETC. “The Hail Resiliency Curve Take a look at fills this information hole by offering our prospects with actionable knowledge on photo voltaic panel hail resilience throughout the entire affect vitality spectrum of real-world hailstorms. Furthermore, the rigorous pattern measurement ensures a extra totally vetted photo voltaic panel characterization.”
Glass {industry} knowledgeable Mike Pilliod, president and chief technical officer at Central Rigidity, who collaborated within the improvement of the take a look at, emphasised its worth: “What actually pursuits me as a glass reliability engineer are measurement techniques that present a statistically consultant likelihood of failure. The use case doesn’t actually matter. Automotive glass, cellphone shows, architectural glass, you title it. If you happen to’re not breaking glass—and never testing a consultant quantity of samples to failure—you’re not doing all your job as a reliability engineer.”
HRC Take a look at knowledge present photo voltaic venture stakeholders with unprecedented visibility into photo voltaic panel efficiency below real-world hailstorm circumstances. Pilliod defined: “If you happen to progressively enhance kinetic affect vitality and take a look at a significant variety of samples to failure, you’ll be able to generate Weibull distribution curves that plot the likelihood of glass failure on a product- or invoice of materials-specific foundation with low uncertainty. Now you’ll be able to stack these Weibull curves and evaluate them. Do the curves overlap? If not, you might be fairly sure that there’s a statistical distinction in resiliency.”
Early adopters of the take a look at program characterize a broad cross part of the photo voltaic manufacturing panorama, starting from publicly traded module and tracker firms to venture-backed startups. “We use the Hail Resiliency Curve Take a look at to qualify glass suppliers and modern product designs,” stated Chad Medcroft, Senior Vice President of International Power Companies at Erthos. “Because the inventor of Earth Mount Photo voltaic, our focus is on module resilience quite than tracker operation. As a result of this method challenges conference, we fee rigorous third-party testing to offer prospects, insurers, and finance companions full confidence in our expertise.”
“Standard hail danger fashions which might be relied upon by many within the insurance coverage group are severely antiquated and outdated,” stated Brian Grenko, president and CEO of VDE Americas. “Hail Resiliency Curve Take a look at outcomes present a superior characterization of photo voltaic panel hail resiliency, decreasing uncertainty for buyers and insurance coverage suppliers.”
About RETC, a part of the VDE Group
RETC (Renewable Power Take a look at Heart) is a number one unbiased take a look at lab for photovoltaic and battery merchandise. Since 2009, downstream producers, builders, unbiased engineers, and financiers have trusted RETC to check and vet their modules, inverters, vitality storage techniques, and racking merchandise. Solely the newest testing requirements and industry-accepted strategies of vetting merchandise are used at RETC. Headquartered in Fremont, California, USA, RETC is united by the assumption in enabling a safer and extra sustainable future.
For extra info, go to www.retc-ca.com
About VDE
VDE, one of many largest expertise organizations in Europe, has been considered a synonym for innovation and technological progress for greater than 130 years. VDE is the one group on the planet that mixes science, standardization, testing, certification, and utility consulting below one umbrella. The VDE mark has been synonymous with the best security requirements and shopper safety for greater than 100 years.
For extra info, go to www.vde.com
About VDE Americas
VDE Americas gives technical advisory and danger mitigation companies to renewable vitality stakeholders —from venture homeowners and financiers to gear producers and people who assemble, function and insure large-scale energy era and vitality storage services. An entirely owned subsidiary of the VDE Group, VDE Americas is acknowledged globally because the main authority in photo voltaic venture hail danger intelligence and loss prevention. The corporate’s experience and modern options have facilitated billions of {dollars} of funding in renewable vitality belongings.
For extra info, go to: www.vde.com/en/vde-americas
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