Golf ball resistance

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pv_n00b

Senior Member
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CA, USA
Do any of the standard PV module listing or certification tests cover resistance to impacts from objects like golf balls?
 

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Do any of the standard PV module listing or certification tests cover resistance to impacts from objects like golf balls?

The closest thing I could think of, is the hail impact resistance. For instance, 1" diameter hail at 52 mph.

In order to revisit this number for another object like a golf ball, you'd have to compare the mass of a golf ball to the mass of a 1" diameter hail ball. Construct kinetic energy 1/2*m*v^2 for both the hail ball and the golf ball, equate the two formulas, and solve for v of the golf ball.
 

pv_n00b

Senior Member
Location
CA, USA
I got this reply from a large module manufacturer:

We have some very robust solar panels, as they undergo sever hail-impact testing. However, as per our warranty certificate, any glass breakage caused by an external source i.e. foreign object impact isn’t under warranty. I handle all the warranty claims in the US and I have seen a number of glass breakages from rocks/golf balls. I would advise putting up something like driving range netting in front of the array, but the shade from the netting would negativity impact your energy production.​

I guess that means, not golf ball proof.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
haha no, the wire should be thin enough so that its cross section wont cast much of a shadow and reduce power output... might lose a few %, tho moving the grill away from the panel would minimize losses
Actually the grille will intercept exactly the same fraction of the sunlight no matter what distance it is at. You will just avoid visible sharp edged shadows. As long as the shadows only cover a small percentage of each cell there should not be a problem, other than the overall reduction of light on all cells uniformly and proportionally.
 

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Actually the grille will intercept exactly the same fraction of the sunlight no matter what distance it is at. You will just avoid visible sharp edged shadows. As long as the shadows only cover a small percentage of each cell there should not be a problem, other than the overall reduction of light on all cells uniformly and proportionally.

Just put the panels in the basement. Then they won't be damaged by golf balls. ;)
 

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Actually the grille will intercept exactly the same fraction of the sunlight no matter what distance it is at. You will just avoid visible sharp edged shadows. As long as the shadows only cover a small percentage of each cell there should not be a problem, other than the overall reduction of light on all cells uniformly and proportionally.

In other words, the grill or net should be high enough above the modules that the umbras do not reach the module surface. For something like chicken wire that's going to be several inches.
 

pv_n00b

Senior Member
Location
CA, USA
The 350kW array is unfortunately right next to the driving range. A good hook and you are there. It's about 250 yards from the tees, over a one story pump house. After the client asked me about golf ball impacts I asked him to tell me how many balls they recover from the proposed array area. I'm still waiting to hear back. Since the array needs to be as low key as possible a netting system is a no go.

I remember walking down a PV project on a roof one time that was below a cliff on which some residential projects were located. Kids would throw rocks from the cliff down on the roof for fun. The array only covered part of the roof, up to about where the rocks started.
 
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