2025-09-02 press release

Effective protection for solar panels against hail: VDE Americas and RETC offer new test

VDE Americas and RETC are setting new standards with a pioneering test to better protect solar panels against catastrophic hail damage. A strict test protocol measures the resistance of solar panels under real hail conditions.

(Frankfurt am Main/Fremont, California, September 02, 2025) Heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail – extreme weather events are on the rise worldwide. Hailstones in particular can cause considerable damage. Photovoltaic systems are particularly at risk due to their exposed location on roofs or open spaces. VDE Americas and the wholly owned VDE subsidiary RETC (Renewable Energy Test Center) want to remedy this with a new test procedure. At the beginning of September, the experts presented the Hail Resiliency Curve (HRC) test. As a further development of the current industry standard tests, the HRC test characterizes resilience across a wide range of impact energies and tests products from all over the world until they fail.

Unlike current hail certification tests for solar panels, the HRC test simulates real-world hailstorm conditions where solar panels face numerous impacts from a range of hailstone sizes and wind speeds during severe hailstorms. The test involves firing a series of small to large hailstones at low to high speeds at solar panels representing specific models and brands until glass fracture occurs, which gives solar developers, owners and operators accurate data for a panel’s breaking point.

Greater safety through stricter hail tests

"The solar industry has long needed a more rigorous approach to hail testing," says Cherif Kedir, president and CEO of RETC. "The Hail Resiliency Curve Test fills this knowledge gap by providing our customers with actionable data on solar panel hail resilience across the complete impact energy spectrum of real-world hailstorms. Moreover, the rigorous sample size ensures a more thoroughly vetted solar panel characterization."

The new HRC protocol not only enables solar panel manufacturers to optimize hail-hardened products designs and demonstrate their performance advantages relative to conventional products. It also helps project developers perform cost-benefit analyses of different solar panels and tracker tilt angles (known as “hail stow”) combinations to mitigate hail damage risk. In addition, insurance providers benefit by being able to appropriately rightsize hail damage coverage and premiums based on empirical data rather than speculation.

Using the Hail Resiliency Curve (HRC) test, experts from VDE Americas and RETC check the resilience of solar modules under real hail conditions.

| RETC

About VDE Renewables

VDE Renewables, a subsidiary of the VDE Group, offers quality assurance services for the global renewable energy sector. Based in Alzenau, Germany, the company’s services include quality testing and certification according to the highest safety, reliability, and performance standards, as well as independent engineering and technical due diligence.

VDE Renewables works closely with all structures of the VDE Group and its internationally renowned network, which include the leading research and development bodies such as the Fraunhofer Institutes and insurance firms such as Allianz and Munich Re. Together with its partners, VDE Renewables supports its customers with their specific requirements, such as gaining access to new markets, differentiating themselves from their competitors or enabling them to receive more attractive insurance or financing conditions.

For more information, visit www.vde.com/renewables

About VDE Americas

VDE Americas provides technical advisory and risk mitigation services to renewable energy stakeholders – from project owners and financiers to equipment manufacturers and those who construct, operate and insure large-scale power generation and energy storage facilities. A wholly owned subsidiary of the VDE Group, VDE Americas is recognized globally as the leading authority in solar project hail risk intelligence and loss prevention. The company's expertise and innovative solutions have facilitated billions of dollars of investment in renewable energy assets.

For more information, visit: www.vde.com/en/vde-americas

About VDE

VDE, one of the largest technology organizations in Europe, has been regarded as a synonym for innovation and technological progress for more than 130 years. VDE is the only organization in the world that combines science, standardization, testing, certification, and application consulting under one umbrella. The VDE mark has been synonymous with the highest safety standards and consumer protection for more than 100 years.

Our passion is the advancement of technology, the next generation of engineers and technologists, and lifelong learning and career development “on the job”. Within the VDE network more than 2,000 employees at over 60 locations worldwide, more than 100,000 honorary experts, and around 1,500 companies are dedicated to ensuring a future worth living: networked, digital, electrical.
Shaping the e-dialistic future.

The VDE (VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies) is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. For more information, visit www.vde.com