ENER Baseball-Sized Hail Wreaks Havoc on Million-Dollar 5.2 Megawatt Community Solar Project in Nebraska, Destroying Over 14,000 Solar Panels (OP June 23)

Macgyver

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Hows the green energy working now?



Baseball-Sized Hail Wreaks Havoc on Million-Dollar 5.2 Megawatt Community Solar Project in Nebraska, Destroying Over 14,000 Solar Panels

On a not-so-sunny day in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, a 5.2 MW solar farm, part of the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD’s) Sunwise program, was recently destroyed by a baseball-sized hailstorm. This incident underscores the vulnerability of green energy infrastructures to extreme weather conditions.

While hailed as the energy source of the future, solar energy’s path seems to be more than a little rocky.
solar-power-devastated-768x1024.jpeg

5.2 MW Community Solar Project in Scottsbluff, Nebraska (Source: Matt Larsen/Facebook)

The Scottsbluff 5.2MW Community Solar Farm, a multi-million dollar project that was launched in 2019, consisted of over 14,000 solar panels. The project, declared as a reliable source of clean and cheap energy, was expected to reduce the state’s carbon footprint and combat climate change.

“This project will help the city achieve its goal to reduce our carbon footprint and stabilize city costs for the next 25 years,” said Nathan D. Johnson, City Manager of Scottsbluff.

According to Cowboy State Daily, a hailstorm with estimated wind speeds of 100 to 150 mph destroyed a large portion of the multimillion-dollar project’s panels.

The entire region has experienced strong storms the past week, which included tornadoes, hail, heavy rains and wind.

A tornado destroyed at least one home in Scottsbluff. Much of the damage to the area was from high winds and hail, which brought down power lines, damaged trees and shattered windshields.

Kevin Spencer, Scottsbluff city manager, told Cowboy State Daily the Nebraska Public Power District, which owns the solar farm, is still assessing the damage, but it’s going to need some repairs.

“Just by looking at it, it looks destroyed to me,” Spencer said.

Spencer said there’s more to a solar farm than just the panels, and so some of the equipment at the farm might have survived the storm. He said he was previously told the panels were hail proof, but that might have meant hail up to a certain size.

Solar panels destroyed by large hail north of Scottsbluff, Nebraska last night. #newx Photo Courtesy Matt Larsen #hail pic.twitter.com/2ND7BHmYlB

— Daryl Orr (@WxWyDaryl) June 27, 2023

Tim Newman, the regional Emergency Management Director, told the Scottsbluff Star-Herald last Saturday that a violent storm with a tornado and baseball-sized hail devastated the region last week.

CEO Dwight Patterson of GenPro Energy Solutions announced that business executives will meet with the solar farm owners and insurance evaluators on Thursday to assess the entire impact of the storm, Fox News report.

“Severe weather, like the storm that struck Scottsbluff, is a good example of why renewable energy providers and local electric utilities benefit from strong partnerships,” Patterson told Fox News Digital. “Forces that are sometimes out of our control could impact critical electric power delivery to homes, hospitals and critical infrastructure.”

Patterson said the Scottsbluff Community Solar Project employed top-tier solar panels that can resist most hail storms. He said hailstorms are unlikely to damage the panels, but always remain possible.
 

Cowgirl4christ

Senior Member
Wait. And don't laugh at me. Those things aren’t shatter-proof??? And people have them all over theirs roofs? I think solar power is a great thing. But dang, I didn’t realize what I didn’t know. It only makes sense that somehow they couldn’t be broken BY HAIL. Lol! Just wow.
 

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Didn't anyone in the company study the history of Nebraska? The pioneers lost crops to hail periodically. What made them think the solar panels would be able to withstand hail? Oh, they didn't know anything about the history of the area . . . idiots.
 

shane

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Outfits like this below often buy, rate and re-sell these panels, they’ll buy as salvage from insurance company. I’ve seen good used ones that tested out at 90% go for as little as 9 cents a watt. Their inventory changes often, location of where they ship from does, too. They also have new, too, though always cheaper by the pallet load.


Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane
 

Dobbin

Faithful Steed
So what is the "solar availability" in Nebraska? I just spent 10 minutes scanning the 'net looking for information and they tell you EVERYTHING but that.

A panel may be 100 watts, but it only operates (typically) 7 hours a day (average - 29 percent availability) The rest of the time it does nothing.

So that 100 watt panel might create 0.7 kilowatt-hours in a day worth around here about about 15 cents?

It's a nice 15 cents since you can "count" on the return - when the sun shines. But many days the sun does not.

So your 100 watt panel MIGHT make you in a year (250 days x 0.7kwhr/day) about 175kwhr worth about $35. You get to pay back your panel in about three years. Well, the price of the panel only.

Dobbin
 
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Dobbin

Faithful Steed
Mine have survived several hail assaults. Dime to quarter size, system installed -----summer of 2003.
They look nice. Do they "track?"

The Biden Voter Woman diagonally across the street has two panels similar appearing - they track. Its fun to see them move on a rainy day. The power to move them would be a direct loss of course.

The alternative with a stationary panel is a less than optimal "solar aspect" for a good part of a normal generation day.

Dobbin
 

dvo

Veteran Member
Didn't anyone in the company study the history of Nebraska? The pioneers lost crops to hail periodically. What made them think the solar panels would be able to withstand hail? Oh, they didn't know anything about the history of the area . . . idiots.
I’ve seen baseball size hail in Ohio. And now, folks have solar panels on their roof. Lots around here. The fly by night roofers travel around the area seeking to replace roofs because of hail damage. Now if hail can ruin your roof, surely your solar panels are in jeopardy too.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I’ve seen baseball size hail in Ohio. And now, folks have solar panels on their roof. Lots around here. The fly by night roofers travel around the area seeking to replace roofs because of hail damage. Now if hail can ruin your roof, surely your solar panels are in jeopardy too.

If our metal roof weren't covered by a thick canopy of trees overhead, the baseball size hail we get would most certainly damage the roof and any solar panels. We don't get that size hail often, but it does happen. Golfball size or smaller, mostly.
 

energy_wave

Has No Life - Lives on TB
The fly by night roofers travel around the area seeking to replace roofs because of hail damage.

The Irish Travelers maybe. Years ago they got my grandparents and another elderly woman 300 bucks a roof to spray coat with trailer roof sealer. It would make their roof as good as new. What a scam. Half an hours work and less then 50 bucks in tar at the time. They pocketed 500 bucks in an hour then took off outta town.
 

Gitche Gumee Kid

Veteran Member
They look nice. Do they "track?"

The Biden Voter Woman diagonally across the street has two panels similar appearing - they track. Its fun to see them move on a rainy day. The power to move them would be a direct loss of course.

The alternative with a stationary panel is a less than optimal "solar aspect" for a good part of a normal generation day.

Dobbin
I was very interested in tracking while negotiating the build. installer talked me out of it. ------> cost, frequent break-downs,, consumes power . He advised adding 40 % more panes . I did
GGK :ld:
 

Sooth

Veteran Member
A panel may be 100 watts, but it only operates (typically) 7 hours a day (average - 29 percent availability) The rest of the time it does nothing.

So that 100 watt panel might create 0.7 kilowatt-hours in a day worth around here about about 15 cents?

It's a nice 15 cents since you can "count" on the return - when the sun shines. But many days the sun does not.

So your 100 watt panel MIGHT make you in a year (250 days x 0.7kwhr/day) about 175kwhr worth about $35. You get to pay back your panel in about three years. Well, the price of the panel only.

Dobbin
100 Watt solar panels are not what is typically found on household solar installs.
My 29 panels are 435W each with 18 kWh of battery backup.
These solar panels are on the roof facing south and get full Sun from sunup to dusk.
Since 1 January they have generated 10.4 MWh. This month 1.82 MWh. Today so far 28 KWh.

Solar can be a benefit and save money. With battery backup, it can keep the lights on quietly and without regard to cans of gasoline in the shed.
A little thought has to be put into configuration and local conditions.

Mine are working pretty well. YMMV.
 

JeanCat

Veteran Member
This is one of the reasons I don't trust solar panels. We live in a high hail zone, and I can't see having to spend money on replacing the panels every time we have a hailstorm.
SB, are you sure these aren’t hail panels that harness the power of hail to make electricity. I am sure that is what they are. Nobody would be stupid enough to put solar panels in a hail zone. It’s the science SB, the science. I am sure Greta Thunder or Thumberg or Thornburger (unsure of last name) have got a handle on this. Don’t the Chinese replace these for free if they are damaged by hail with their warranty.
 

Babs

Veteran Member
We had some golf ball sized hail last fall. Our small solar panels were safe inside of our large greenhouse. Plastic on the greenhouse was dented, and only one small hole. The panels would have been destroyed otherwise. They absorb sun perfectly fine inside the greenhouse.
 

West

Senior
We had some golf ball sized hail last fall. Our small solar panels were safe inside of our large greenhouse. Plastic on the greenhouse was dented, and only one small hole. The panels would have been destroyed otherwise. They absorb sun perfectly fine inside the greenhouse.

Not a bad idea, one could just install heavy duty plexiglass over their panels.
 

Wildweasel

F-4 Phantoms Phorever
Hows the green energy working now?



Baseball-Sized Hail Wreaks Havoc on Million-Dollar 5.2 Megawatt Community Solar Project in Nebraska, Destroying Over 14,000 Solar Panels

On a not-so-sunny day in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, a 5.2 MW solar farm, part of the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD’s) Sunwise program, was recently destroyed by a baseball-sized hailstorm. This incident underscores the vulnerability of green energy infrastructures to extreme weather conditions.

While hailed as the energy source of the future, solar energy’s path seems to be more than a little rocky.
solar-power-devastated-768x1024.jpeg

5.2 MW Community Solar Project in Scottsbluff, Nebraska (Source: Matt Larsen/Facebook)

The Scottsbluff 5.2MW Community Solar Farm, a multi-million dollar project that was launched in 2019, consisted of over 14,000 solar panels. The project, declared as a reliable source of clean and cheap energy, was expected to reduce the state’s carbon footprint and combat climate change.

“This project will help the city achieve its goal to reduce our carbon footprint and stabilize city costs for the next 25 years,” said Nathan D. Johnson, City Manager of Scottsbluff.

According to Cowboy State Daily, a hailstorm with estimated wind speeds of 100 to 150 mph destroyed a large portion of the multimillion-dollar project’s panels.

The entire region has experienced strong storms the past week, which included tornadoes, hail, heavy rains and wind.

A tornado destroyed at least one home in Scottsbluff. Much of the damage to the area was from high winds and hail, which brought down power lines, damaged trees and shattered windshields.

Kevin Spencer, Scottsbluff city manager, told Cowboy State Daily the Nebraska Public Power District, which owns the solar farm, is still assessing the damage, but it’s going to need some repairs.

“Just by looking at it, it looks destroyed to me,” Spencer said.

Spencer said there’s more to a solar farm than just the panels, and so some of the equipment at the farm might have survived the storm. He said he was previously told the panels were hail proof, but that might have meant hail up to a certain size.

Solar panels destroyed by large hail north of Scottsbluff, Nebraska last night. #newx Photo Courtesy Matt Larsen #hail pic.twitter.com/2ND7BHmYlB

— Daryl Orr (@WxWyDaryl) June 27, 2023

Tim Newman, the regional Emergency Management Director, told the Scottsbluff Star-Herald last Saturday that a violent storm with a tornado and baseball-sized hail devastated the region last week.

CEO Dwight Patterson of GenPro Energy Solutions announced that business executives will meet with the solar farm owners and insurance evaluators on Thursday to assess the entire impact of the storm, Fox News report.

“Severe weather, like the storm that struck Scottsbluff, is a good example of why renewable energy providers and local electric utilities benefit from strong partnerships,” Patterson told Fox News Digital. “Forces that are sometimes out of our control could impact critical electric power delivery to homes, hospitals and critical infrastructure.”

Patterson said the Scottsbluff Community Solar Project employed top-tier solar panels that can resist most hail storms. He said hailstorms are unlikely to damage the panels, but always remain possible.
Solar farms in areas known for severe hailstorms. Bought to you be the same geniuses who came up with screen doors for submarines.
 

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
Most panels are rated for up to inch size hail, not golfball sized hail. That being said, if they want to ship the damaged ones somewhere to dispose of them, send them my way. I will get them fixed up if the actual cell damage is not too bad.

Personally, this is a great example of why MOST of mine are Unisolar ones. No Glass at all to break and the cells are flexible and attached directly to the stainless steel backing. Almost indestructible. And since they are Amorphous, I have even seen them produce some power during the more "full" moons. Enough that unless I get good cloud cover on the nights that have more than a half moon showing, the charge controller and monitor system thinks that I have had 40 some day between "nights" some months as it does not see a few hours of "no solar input" during that time. Gets interesting when that upsets the equalization patterns...
 
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