If you are looking into solar panels, sometimes you might find it helpful to learn how others have dealt with solar issues. Scottsbluff, Nebraska, discovered the hard way a disadvantage to solar panels at the end of June 2023. The city’s solar panels were completely destroyed by a hailstorm.
The Scottsbluff, Nebraska 5.2 MW Community Solar project is part of the NPPD’s Sunwise program, which includes more than 14,000 solar panels. As of 2019, it had been operational. In a ceremony to inaugurate the project, dignitaries and supporters proclaimed it would deliver cheap and clean energy, reduce the state’s carbon footprint, and contribute to a brighter and more environmentally friendly future.
City Response
Kevin Spencer, Scottsbluff city manager, was told that
The panels were hail-proof, but that might have meant hail up to a certain size [1].
The power company is still assessing the damage. While most panels were destroyed, some of the solar panels’ equipment may also be destroyed.
Hailstorm
A hailstorm went through the Wyoming and Nebraska area on June 23, 2023. This area is a region that has some of the highest frequencies of hailstorms in the country. These hailstones were the size of baseballs. They fell from the sky at 100-150 mph.
Manufacturers Response
The system’s 25-year expected lifetime was reduced to less than four years [2]. Though reporters reached out to Gastouniotis, the solar company, they have received no answer.
In conclusion, solar panels do have a purpose. One needs to assess the money saved over time, compared with the area’s risks, like hail.
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Notes:
- ^ {{Baseball-Sized Hail Smashing Into Panels At 150 MPH Destroys Scottsbluff Solar Farm}} (go back ↩)
- ^ {{Huge Nebraska Solar Park Completely Smashed To Pieces By One Single Hail Storm!}} (go back ↩)
