Solar Panel Toughness (Battle against mother nature)

[Steve]

The next thing I want to do is put at least one solar panel on top of my bus to keep the system charged when I'm not using it and to recharge it after use. The thing I am worried about is the weather.

My bus sits outside completely exposed to the elements and has no protection from even a tree. Is the solar panel going to get broken during our next hail storm or are they built strong enough to withstand direct hits of golfball size hail.

[soused moose]

I can help with this one...
Almost every solar panel built is made to sustain very hard hits. They actually shoot ball bearings at them with air canons to figure out how much abuse the can take…and they can take amazing impacts before the plastic coverings break.
I wouldn’t worry at all about installing a panel or 2 Steve.

We had 2 Uni-Solar panels on our last bus and they made it through some amazing hits from branches & such during the winter blizzards that hit up in Homer.

Michael & Millie
http://www.mobilehomestead.com

[lapeer20m]

one thing i read on another site about solar panels is that if they are mounted on an angle rather than flat this should reduce the impact from hail and other things falling from the sky.

[bewofthe]

sorry could not resist