Golf Ball Damage To My Solar Panels

Solar in cold climates with the cyclone bomb bringing record low temperatures to the east coast this month many homeowners have had snow on.

Golf ball damage to my solar panels.

In california and many of the other states where solar is prevalent there is no shortage of golf courses and homes that surround them. Or use the same type of nets some of the driving ranges use to keep balls from leaving their property and causing damage to others. We currently are only getting 50 60 of the efficiency we were getting before the damage. Then put a correctly spec ed panel at the corner position.

Solar panels are rated for hail impact which is roughly the impact of a 1 hail ball striking the panel at 52 mph. Well after one year we have 5 panels cracked due to golf ball damage. The panel would likely continue to deliver power although at a lower rate. Those dogs can have my golf balls but i prefer to keep mine right where they are at.

At the end of the day it is possible for your solar panels to crack from the impact of a golf ball. I am sure the solar panel was hit by someone as part of a bet they have been working on it and somebody won that bet. But it might tear through the thinner strings. We live on a golf course and because i am an idiot we purchased 31k worth of solar panels.

Because of this it is important to plan your solar panel system so that it is exposed to possible golf ball hits as little as possible. I found a golf ball 30m from our house the other day. The salesman said that the panels can withstand golf balls. The tempered glass protects the solar cells under this type of impact.

You may be able to remove the broken panel and put one of your existing panels from a corner position into the broken panel site. Unfortunately those nets are pretty tough and may cause enough shadowing on the panels depending on how far away they are installed. If you have a microinverter based system only the output of that one panel would be affected until replaced. Can a golf ball damage my solar panels.

Unusually large hail storms can indeed damage solar panels but solar panels are designed and engineered to generally withstand hail the size of golf balls or smaller. Tall trees near the rooftop installations can cause breakage when the branches fall directly over the panels.