Devastating Hailstorm Destroys Massive 350 MW Solar Farm in US
we're diving into a shocking story from Texas, where a powerful hailstorm wreaked havoc on a massive solar farm. Imagine this: baseball-sized hailstones falling from the sky, smashing through thousands of solar panels, turning them into shattered glass. It's a stark reminder that Mother Nature can be brutal, even as we strive for greener energy solutions. So, how did this happen, and what does it mean for the future of clean energy in Texas? Let's get into it!
What happens when a hailstorm meets thousands of solar panels? Well, on March 15, a solar farm southwest of Houston found out the hard way. The Fighting Jays Solar Farm, which covers an enormous 3,300 acres, took a beating as hailstones the size of baseballs came crashing down. Aerial footage captured rows upon rows of cracked photovoltaic cells-just imagine the damage! This solar farm, which had been cranking out 350 megawatts of electricity to power 62,000 homes, is now limping along at reduced capacity. How's that for a weather disaster?
Could solar panels survive such extreme weather? You'd think they would be built for it, right? And they are! Solar panels are designed to withstand wind, rain, and even hail, but there's a limit to their toughness. According to research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, hail-cracked panels only lose about four percent of their energy output. But we're not talking about little pebbles here-these were baseball-sized hailstones! Even the Department of Energy admits that hail this big packs enough punch to completely shatter the glass. It's like throwing rocks at a window-eventually, something's going to give!
00:00 Intro
00:46 How Bad Was the Damage?
02:28 Could PV survive Hailstorm?
03:13 Protect PV from Hailstorm
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 👍 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞: th-cam.com/channels/t0ArAJeNCMftl8FP1nXuFA.html
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