Choosing solar panels with thicker front glass can significantly improve hail resistance, and for many projects (especially in hail-prone zones) it’s a wise specification decision. Here’s a detailed breakdown (tailored for your context in off-grid/back-up/remote systems with your company Rocksolar) along with how to act on it.
✅ What the research & industry say
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A study found that PV modules with front glass thickness of 2.8 mm, 3.2 mm and 4.0 mm were tested with hailstone impacts. The 4.0 mm glass module lost ~1.1% power output after a large hail test, versus ~21.8% (2.8 mm) and ~11.74% (3.2 mm). ScienceDirect+3pv magazine International+3The American Ceramic Society+3
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The article from the U.S. Department of Energy’s FEMP recommends designing modules for hail in sites where very large hail (> ~44 mm diameter) occurs. The Department of Energy's Energy.gov
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The industry commentary notes that recently some manufacturers are reverting to thicker glass (or more robust tempered glass) specifically because ultra-thin glass modules were failing more often in hail-prone regions. Solar Power World+1
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A commentary on module reliability states: “To improve the resistance of photovoltaic modules to hail damage, thicker front glass panels is an excellent approach…” The American Ceramic Society
So in short: thicker glass (≥ ~3.2mm) does meaningfully improve hail impact resistance compared to typical ~2mm glass in many modules.
Here are some improved hail resistance solar panels for hail-prone zones for you to choose:
https://rocksolar.ca/products/nexus-440w-rigid-monocrystalline-bifacial-solar-panel
https://rocksolar.ca/products/philadelphia-600w-rigid-monocrystalline-bifacial-solar-panel
