Wine region solar farm to use hail-proof PV modules in Australian first

A solar and battery project under development in South Australia’s wind region of Coonawarra will be the first to feature anti-hail solar panels from solar manufacturing giant Canadian Solar.

Under development by Victoria-based renewables utility Flow Power, Canadian Solar announced this week that the Coonawarra Energy Project will comprise a 15 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) and 6.14 megawatts (MW) of solar using its anti-hail solar modules.

Canadian Solar says the extreme weather resistant modules are part of its CS6.2 series, which use 182mm Pro cells. The anti-hail variant of the module is designed for sites prone to hailstorms or for developers concerned about rising insurance premiums and aiming to reduce operation and maintenance costs.

The features of the anit-hail module include 2.5mm fully tempered glass on both the front and rear – compared to 2mm on standard modules – with the additional 0.5mm of thickness allowing for full tempering, which the company says “significantly” improves hail resistance.

The modules also use a thicker 35mm frame instead of the standard 30mm, enhancing mechanical strength and making it more suitable for high-wind regions.

All up, Canadian Solar says the new panels are verified to withstand 55mm ice balls at 33.9m/s (122 km/h), in accordance with IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 61215 standards.

“We’re excited to be using Canadian Solar’s TOPCon anti-hail panels in our upcoming energy projects,” said Tom Harrison, Flow Power’s general manager energy projects.

“At Flow Power, we are committed to innovation, and we always work to make each new project better than the last. That includes building smarter, more resilient energy solutions, and the Coonawarra Energy Project is a testament to that mission.

“By integrating anti-hail technology into our solar farms, we are not only enhancing the durability of our assets, but also ensuring greater reliability for our customers, even in extreme weather conditions.”

Canadian Solar’s chairman and CEO, Dr Shawn Qu, was on hand to launch “commercial and bifacial solutions designed for anti-dust and anti-hail utility applications” at the All Energy 2024 clean energy exhibition and conference held in Melbourne last October.

“We are proud to partner with Flow Power to bring our advanced anti-hail solar panels to Australian energy projects,” said Dr. Shawn Qu.

“This first project highlights our commitment to providing innovative solutions that enhance the durability and performance of solar energy systems in Australia.”