Impact of hailstorm on the performance of PV module: a review

The production of electrical energy from solar energy is increasing vastly from last decade because it gives an environment clean and limitless source of energy. There are numerous factors such as solar radiation, wind, dust, temperature, humidity, and hailstorm that influence the performance of PV module. Because of the increasing demand for solar energy, the safety of solar modules is more important than ever. The heavy hailstorm may damage the front glass surface and breakage solar cell. When cracks appear in front glass surface, it they reduces the sun-oriented radiation to enter specific on the solar cell. When cracks appear in a solar cell, the cell is fully isolated as a result current decreases. Hailstorm not only reduces the total power generation but also reduces the life of PV Module. There are few researches on the impact of a hailstorm on the performance of PV module. The hailstorm reduces the output power and the life of the PV module, since the safety of the solar panel from the hailstorm is very necessary. This paper discusses in detail the formation of hailstorm and the impact of a hailstorm on the performance of PV module.