As utility-scale solar continues expanding across diverse geographies, including more hail-prone regions, the industry faces a growing challenge: how to protect solar projects from increasingly frequent and severe weather, especially hail.
With insurance claims climbing and premiums spiking, the pressure is on developers, operators, and insurers to find smarter, more reliable ways to mitigate risk. Solutions like ARRAY DuraTrack Hail XP™ offer a practical way to help reduce exposure and deliver stronger outcomes, both operationally and financially.
Meanwhile, solar modules are evolving. Larger formats, thinner glass, and more bifacial designs improve efficiency, but can also increase vulnerability. Hail is now a top driver of PV losses and responsible for over half of solar insurance claims. Mitigation isn’t optional anymore—it’s a make-or-break factor in tracker design and project planning. In recent webinar, Justin Bates, director of product management at ARRAY; Mike Perron, renewable energy market lead at FM; and George Loranger, director of product marketing at ARRAY, discussed the real-world challenges of hail risk—and how automated tracker stow systems, like ARRAY’s DuraTrack Hail XP ™, are helping solar sites stay protected.
Watch the full webinar below or keep reading for some key takeaways from this insightful discussion.
UNDERSTANDING THE HAIL RISK LANDSCAPE
Mike opened with a staggering statistic: Hail is responsible for just 6% of solar system losses by count but drives 73% of damage costs. The discrepancy points to a sobering reality: when hail hits and systems fail to stow, the losses are often catastrophic. And it’s not just a regional issue; it’s a global and growing threat. So why are losses still happening?
Mike identified several root causes:
- Software errors and system timeouts
- Confusion between wind and hail stow protocols
- Power outages and incomplete commissioning
- Mechanical faults and configuration gaps
The bottom line: stow works—but only when it’s reliable, automated, and site-wide. Systems that stowed properly experienced losses reduced by more than half.
ENGINEERING FOR RESILIANCE: ARRAY’S HAIL XP™ TRACKER
Justin introduced Hail XP™, a tracker system designed to solve the hail vs. wind dilemma. Traditional trackers often force operators to choose: stow for hail (and risk wind) or stow for wind (and risk hail). Hail XP™ addresses both—without compromise.
Key features of Hail XP™:
- Hard-wired 480V AC motors, ensuring reliable stow with zero dependence on batteries.
- High tilt angles up to 77°, which can reduce module exposure and the energy of incoming hail
- Stows away from the wind, helping reduce kinetic force on glass surfaces
- Automated stow initiation via ARRAY SmarTrack® Hail Alert Response, with storm alerts triggered at least 30 minutes in advance of an approaching storm.
VDE Americas’ forensic analysis of hail events in Fort Bend Country, TX found that no direct hail damage occurred on ARRAY rows that followed stow protocols, even during storms with hail up to 4 inches in diameter. And at a 52° stow angle, the system still provided effective protection because the trackers reliably moved to full stow when needed.
WHY STOW ANGLE—AND DIRECTION—MATTER
The angle of impact can dramatically influence damage risk. Hail striking a pv module at a steep, oblique angle delivers far less force than a direct hit.
- At 77°, the kinetic energy of hail is reduced to less than 20 joules, well below the fracture threshold for most PV glass while also mitigating risk of cell cracking.
- Stowing into the wind can lead to cracked modules at just 2 inches of hail.
- Stowing away from the wind offers protection even in storms with 4-inch hailstones.
ARRAY’s design allows for trackers to move across the flat position, even in high winds, to stow away from the direction of the storm without risking dynamic instability. This capability is essential for dual protection.
SMARTER STOW THROUGH AUTOMATION
Manual stow protocols are vulnerable to delays and errors. ARRAY’s SmarTrack® Hail Alert Response automates the process, using geo-fencing and storm proximity-based storm tracking to automatically trigger a site-wide stow when a storm enters a 30-mile radius—ensuring readiness before grid outages or impact.
For developers and operators, this automation can:
- Help reduce risk of catastrophic module failure
- Support insurance negotiations with tested protocols
- Offer peace of mind during storm season
INSURANCE IMPLICATIONS AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
Mike emphasized that better hail protection isn’t just about tech, it’s about trust. For insurance providers to offer premium reductions or improved terms, they need:
- Documented stow testing (monthly and annual)
- Operator training and system awareness
- Cross-stakeholder standards and visibility
ARRAY solar trackers meet these demands with field-proven performance and engineering-forward design.
Hail damage isn’t just a weather problem—it’s a business risk. Automated stow solutions like Hail XP and Hail Alert Response help empower developers to protect portfolios, reduce operational disruptions, and potentially lower long-term insurance costs. In a maturing solar market, proactive site resilience is a competitive advantage.
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