Looks like some panels may have survived.
Posted on 06/29/2023 6:44:04 AM PDT by Paul46360
The Scottsbluff, Nebraska 5.2 MW Community Solar project was part of the NPPD’s Sunwise program that consisted of an array has over 14,000 solar panels. It’s reported that it had been put into operation in 2019.
Surely the project had been ceremoniously put into operation, with dignitaries and proponents proclaiming it would reliably deliver cheap and clean energy, reduce the state’s carbon footprint and contribute to a bright and climate-friendly future.
Now it has been just recently reported that the multimillion dollar solar energy park was literally reduced to a heap of rubble as hail literally pummeled it to a pulp in just a matter of minutes days ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at notrickszone.com ...
Oops.
There’s $50 million bucks down the toilet
Looks like some panels may have survived.
That’ll buff right out.
Here in northern CA, the biggest hail we ever see is pea-sized. Just in the last few years it’s come onto my radar screen just how widespread very serious hail damage can be in other parts of the country, dimpled cars, etc. a friend of mine who used to work in CO told me how one went through the roof of the public office building where he worked, the thunderstorm then in progress also flooding the top floor of the building. Amazing
Next door neighbor has some on the there roof. We’ve had a couple of hail storms but it was pea sized. I was expecting to find glass, but they seem to be OK. Now an ice brick or something, yeah, that may do it
people should look into and fund deep earth drilling to power steam turbines...
That’ll bluff right out..... more like it
Should be declared a Superfund Hazardous Waste site - the ground beneath can no longer support vegetation from the chemicals spilled - land is forever polluted.
Democrat waste!
That’ll buff Out!
.
Greenies are dangerous.
That’s “hail alley”
That’s got to be Photoshop Disinformation. EVERYBODY knows this is our energy future and anything “green” is indestructible, low-cost, non-toxic, and reliable.
That won’t buff out.
On a Carbon based planet you can not reduce your carbon footprint ,LOL
Well isn’t the solution obvious????
We must invest billions to develop hail proof solar panels.......GET WITH THE PROGRAM PEOPLE!
Just eye-balling the photo I'd say 10% survived. A 90% reduction in throughput is a major deal, especially if the grid depends on it (I hate, hate, hate grid power being dependent on solar and wind).
Even so, the 10% of panels that are still good need to be re-arranged so that they're all on the same inverter strings (assuming they used string inverters since those tend to be the most efficient). I have 8 strings for my 64 solar panels. If one panel goes bad the entire string would go down (much like a bad light in a string of Christmas lights) but the other 7 strings would produce just fine. Assuming in this photo they had one inverter string per row of panels, then right now none of the inverter strings are producing power (every row has at least one "blown" panel).
As far as cost of loss goes, I wonder if there's insurance. I added $40/year to my homeowner's insurance to cover the cost of replacing solar panels (and other added costs, since with rising construction costs even if I hadn't added solar and other energy improvements it would cost me more to rebuild my home today than it would have 17 years ago when we first started the homeowner's insurance policy). IMHO, $40/year is a reasonable expense to offset this kind of problem from a cost/benefit analysis. (Obviously their insurance premium would be more, but for more production.)
Even if they have enough insurance that this loss is a drop in the bucket financially, I hate, hate, hate solar power for the grid because the grid is supposed to be dependable power. The only solar worth considering is decentralized solar (personal use) and even then it should be a free market thing and not some government induced push to support some warmageddon fear religion.
Here in York PA, we get hail of all sizes. Just two days ago, we had golfball-sized hail; a month ago, the Harrisburg area had baseball-sized iceballs. Lots of damage from both.
“That’s ‘hail alley’”
My daughter’s Ford Escape got hit by a similar hailstorm in Denver while parked at the airport. It looks like the top, hood, and one side got blasted by high-speed golf balls. The insurance company totaled it. Our daughter, being frugal and money-smart, took the insurance payoff, repaired the broken windshield, and kept the car. Mechanically it’s still fine and she’s still driving it today, about five years after the hailstorm. It’s got a “Totaled” title, but big deal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.