QAZAQ GREEN. Terrasmart developed a new hail stow feature for its single-axis solar tracker, TerraTrak. The hail stow capability increases risk mitigation functionality for PeakYield, Terrasmart’s cloud-based tracker control and monitoring software platform, reports Solar Power World.

The hail mitigation system automatically triggers stow position to protect solar assets without requiring operator intervention, using cloud-based weather forecasts from Accuweather. Available for both 1P and 2P trackers, the hail stow solution adds to Terrasmart’s foundation-agnostic racking portfolio that offers both ground screw and driven piles, designed specifically to perform in adverse terrain and weather conditions.

“Project de-risking has, and continues to be, our most significant contribution to the solar industry,” said Terrasmart President Ed McKiernan. “Our new hail stow feature adds to our existing array of foundation and racking products that bring unique reliability to unreliable sites.”

The Terrasmart hail stow solution brings key advantages to asset owners and operators, including:

The high-tilt stow angle accounts for both wind and hail conditions, eliminating contradicting positions and ensuring a safe tracker position (+/- 50° for 1P and +/- 60° for 2P) Auto-stow feature activates 60 minutes before a weather event but timing can be customized to meet owner requirements. Using the stow function does not require installing additional hardware or calibration over time.

“Our motto at Terrasmart is to stow early and stow often,” said Ashton Vandermark, software solutions lead at Terrasmart. “We are adamant about automatically triggering hail protection to avoid instances where manual intervention has not occurred during storms. We are excited about this latest addition to PeakYield cloud-based functionality and machine-learning intelligence to protect assets.”

Hail represents one of the most devastating forms of weather that can impact U.S. solar sites. According to insurance industry reports, hail accounts for less than 2% of solar project insurance claims by volume, but more than 50% of total dollar losses. Forty-year financial exposure models from engineering firm VDE Americas suggest that hail events could result in up to $13 million in damage at 0° tilt, compared to only $620,000 at 60°.