Hail can cause millions of dollars in damage to solar installations. New research shows that Vaisala Xweather’s lightning-based forecasting detects more severe hail events than other methods and provides operators with more time to protect their panels, potentially reducing damage and insurance costs.
According to industry research cited by kWh Analytics, hail is responsible for a disproportionate share of insured solar losses. Tilting solar panels into a protective stow position can significantly reduce the damage, but operators need sufficient warning to act.
A validation study conducted by Vaisala Xweather found that its lightning-based forecasting system predicted 99.2% of reported severe hail events in the US in the first half of 2026, outperforming the radar-based method used by most commercial hail alerting services by 15.9 percentage points. The findings also suggest that its forecast could give operators more time to act.
The financial impact of severe hail on utility-scale solar projects can be substantial. According to the 2025 Solar Risk Assessment report from kWh Analytics, hail accounts for 73% of total insured losses despite representing just 6% of loss incidents.
VDE Americas reports that hail damage represents only 2% of solar project insurance claims but accounts for more than 50% of the associated costs, averaging approximately $58 million per claim. AXIS Capital recorded $340 million in hail damage claims between 2019 and 2024.
PV panels mounted on tracker systems can be tilted towards vertical when severe hail threatens. Moving the panels into a defensive stow position reduces their exposure to damaging impacts. One study found that positioning modules at 60° during a hailstorm increased panel survivability from 81% to 99%.