Energy Solar, cost keeps going up!

Chicken wire has rather large openings and is structurally weak...small hail will go through the openings and large hail will punch right through. Something stronger, such as 1/2" hardware cloth, would offer a sturdier alternative. Regardless, make sure there is enough clearance between the barrier and the panels to avoid damage from large hail bending and making contact.

 

Covering a solar panel with plexiglass, or Lexan, or whatever, will reduce your solar capacity by at least 15%. Factor that into your system when building it. That's a lot to give up. I've never heard of anyone (at least not anyone who knows what they are doing) protecting a solar panel this way. It just isn't done.

Here is a great example:



I live in the Midwest and we get the worst of everything here. My panels have been out there for years getting the hell kicked out of them with no issues.

• If you have concerns about keeping them clean, then just go out there and clean them as needed.
• If you have concerns about hail, cover the panels only when a storm is expected or if you are not going to be home for a while and accept the reduced capacity.
• If you insist on covering them anyway you'll need a UV resistant material, which by definition will reduce the amount of solar energy your panels will be able to collect. I do not know if the Lexan in the video above is UV resistant. If not, then your energy loss will increase accordingly.

Solar is a very mature technology. The average solar panel is very well made and can put up with most anything. There is not much you can do to make it "better."

 

Over on wind sun forum they claim good panels will survive golf ball size hail no problem.
No need to keep every pellet of hail from touching the panels.
Putting a layer of glass or plex glass over panels can cut their output by up to 1/2 when dealing with less than ideal angles to the sun.
Then you will have shading from the supporting structure that holds the plexy glass.
Chicken wire will reduce output by maybe 1% or 2%.

 

Thank you all for bringing me up to speed on the lexan/plexiglass. Typical engineer, I looked at protection, not losses. Should have known better, but like I said, still designing and planning, not building yet. I appreciate the info.

 

No problem.
Just ask before buying or building anything to avoid costly mistakes.

 

Poly / Mono are price over watt difference , amorphous silicon is in the early stage of life . Mono has been proven , Poly semi also since it has had time to be proven & it's faster to grow the crystal's . (price drops) ..
In High impact areas (sea from birds dropping shells ,Hail) use the thicker 4.2 mm high impact glass. the panel is still rated as it put's out. More $ & weight to configure in the structural loads if using standard tables.
Sloth

 

Yes in NM you need some of the toughest panels and racks you can get.
Last December here in NM we had a real no shit blizzard. Where I am we had 60 to 70mph winds with 90mph gusts. It ripped the roofs off several barns and a few houses. It destroyed most of the pole signs local businesses had and 11 months later they still have not all been replaced.
Up north it was even worse.
Then in the summer time you have the high wind and hail threat.
About 20 years ago I was up in the red River Cimarron valley area, the winters and thunder storms are worse there. Almost every thunder storm there produces at least some hail it seems like.

 

You don't want plexiglass over photovoltaic solar panels , it will cause them to heat up.=accelerate the age
Getting thermal solar would be OK for covering with plexiglass, thermal thrive in heat.