The report from kWh Analytics, with enter from a number of business leaders, identifies 14 dangers to pay attention to within the photo voltaic business, together with dangers associated to extreme climate, akin to hail , and operational dangers.
A report from kWh Analytics, a local weather insurance coverage supplier, launched its 6th annual Solar Risk Assessment report, which offers a data-driven overview of the dangers of photo voltaic belongings. The report contains contributions from photo voltaic business leaders in know-how, financing, and insurance coverage.
“To obtain renewable vitality deployment targets, the main target have to be on good progress – counting on knowledge to tell choices and utilizing resilience measures to guard belongings,” mentioned the kWh Analytics chief govt. officer Jason Kaminsky.
The report identifies 14 dangers that the photo voltaic business wants to pay attention to, together with dangers associated to excessive climate and operational dangers. For the primary time this 12 months, the dangers related to battery vitality storage are included. This information covers extreme climate hazards, with subsequent articles reviewing operational and storage-related hazards.
Modeling assumptions scale back losses from climate harm by 300% or extra
Data from kWh Analytics discovered that threat modeling for harm from climate occasions is essentially ignored. Especially in giant photo voltaic markets akin to California, Texas and Arizona, the precise lack of land from climate occasions is 300% or greater than modeled by asset house owners.
kWh Analytics notes that as PV is a comparatively new asset class, pure hazard fashions generally used to measure insurance coverage premiums usually depend on proxy constructions to estimate loss The firm says extra correct PV-specific modeling is required, and variations within the know-how used (akin to trackers with hail safety) needs to be taken under consideration within the threat mannequin.
The insurance coverage supplier has developed new fashions that make the most of location-specific dangers, supported by knowledge from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), essential loss knowledge and satellite tv for pc imagery to offer a extra correct threat evaluation.
The modules perform nicely after intensive cell harm
Reliable testing from Kiwa PVEL discovered that damaged cells from impacts akin to hail are much less catastrophic to photo voltaic module efficiency than is perhaps anticipated. No module examined by PVEL misplaced greater than 3% manufacturing after present process successive ice stress.
The testing lab says that as a substitute of counting on costly electroluminescent (EL) testing, it recommends that asset house owners conduct annual aerial thermal scans to establish cracked modules which have created hotspots and are susceptible to fires and wishes substitute. Fire hazards are notably extreme within the uncommon case {that a} module with a failed bypass diode has cracked cells.
Hail protected modules publish solely 0.8% energy loss
Waaree discovered that photo voltaic modules examined within the lab tilted in a hidden place to guard from the direct results of hail solely misplaced 0.8% of their manufacturing from the dangerous angle of the throughout hail occasions. Instead, the modules had been capable of keep away from harm solely by stowing. The losses are higher than the IEC customary of 5% loss from storage.
Solar venture insurance coverage prices may be decreased by as much as 50% by investing in strong design and upkeep
Data from Alliant Power discovered that properties in high-risk areas can scale back insurance coverage prices by as much as 50% by investing in resilience measures akin to choosing heat-insulating panels. and ice-capable trackers.
“It pays to take the time to diversify your venture and select extremely certified companions in relation to threat and insurance coverage,” says Alliant Insurance Services.
Natural catastrophe occasions are on the rise, with billion-dollar climate occasions rising from a mean of 13 per 12 months within the 2010s to a mean of twenty-two per 12 months within the 2020s, with 28 billion-dollar damages. climate occasions occurring in 2023 solely, mentioned Alliant.
The chance of asset harm is 87% decrease with a 75-degree hail stow tilt
Solar developer Longroad Energy shared a case research the place completely different tilt angles and their impact on module safety from the consequences of hail had been analyzed. The report is predicated on knowledge from RETC and tracker supplier Nextracker.
It discovered {that a} 50-degree stow led to a 33% estimated module breakage likelihood, whereas a 60-degree stow had an 8% likelihood, and a 75-degree stow led to solely a 1% threat of breakage as a result of within the hail.
The subsequent report on this sequence will overview the kWh Analytics evaluation of photo voltaic asset operational dangers.
For extra on high quality points in utility-scale photo voltaic, join a free webinar on Racking and trackers: manufacturing unit high quality points and design issues for utility-scale photo voltaic installations , June 11 at 11 am ET. Register right here.
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