Thunder, lightning and hail: Why bad weather doesn’t have to rain on your solar system

You’ve spent thousands to get the right solar system for your home, hoping to keep load shedding at bay and get the most out of SA’s sunny weather. But what do you do when Mother Nature decides to hit you with a thunderstorm and hail big enough to play tennis with?

More sun than storm

SA has a lot of potential for solar, with South African Weather Services (SAWS) meteorologist Lehlohonolo Thobela telling The Citizen the country is geographically positioned to soak up most of the sun’s rays.

The continent has 60% of the globe’s solar irradiation and, as Thobela says, SA boasts an annual 24-hour solar radiation average of 220 W/m2.

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“The Southern African region has sunshine all year round. That’s why you would want to have a solar system,” Thobela says.

Standard Bank’s LookSee platform offers a handy Solar Score  tool to find out how much power your home is likely to generate from the sun, looking at its location, direction and size of your roof.

More extreme conditions ahead?

But sometimes the weather takes a turn for the worse, with recent thunderstorms leaving flooding, hail damage, and destruction in their wake.

Thobela warns bad weather experienced over the last few months could persist, due to the climate pattern of El Niño. The atmospheric-oceanic phenomenon has led to the warming of oceans and changes in weather patterns.

“We are expecting more extreme weather patterns due to El Niño. We are still in the strong El Niño state, which suggests that above normal temperatures, minimum and maximum, are yet to be expected for the rest of the summer season,” Thobela says.

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The weather service’s forecast for December and January indicates below-normal rainfall over central parts of the country and above-normal rainfall for the north-eastern parts.

“We will experience extreme weather for as long as we’re in the El Niño state, and for as long as we’re in summer,” Thobela says.

How can I protect my solar panels?

The hailstorms, heavy rainfall, winds, and severe thunderstorms set to hit in the upcoming months mean homeowners should take precautions to protect their properties.

Some have turned to home-made protection such as covering solar panels with toughened film to prevent damage.

While this may seem like a good idea, LookSee Executive Head Marc du Plessis advises The Citizen that it’s never a good idea to make changes to your solar system or components without consulting your installer.

“As an example, the toughened film could interfere with your solar panel’s ability to capture direct sunlight and efficiently turn this into electricity, which would mean you’ll be generating less  power for your family to use.”

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Du Plessis adds putting additional features on the panels could also make it difficult to return if something goes wrong.

“You won’t be able to claim from your warranty if you’ve interfered with the equipment,” he warns.

Likewise, covering batteries and inverters can result in damage due to restricted ventilation which also wouldn’t be covered by the warranty.

Instead, he says protecting your solar panels starts with enlisting a competent contractor for quality installation.

Qualified installers can mount solar panels steadily to withstand extreme weather conditions, including gale-force winds, heavy rain, and lightning strikes.

LookSee’s home solar offerings are backed by Standard Bank and feature qualified installers, flexible financing options and a dedicated Customer Care Team to assist families throughout their solar journey.

LookSee offers advice on finding the right installer, based on your location and solution, and Standard Bank’s Enterprise Development division has teamed up with LookSee and its implementation partner 4-Sure to establish a solar training initiative to train a generation of solar installers.

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Can insurance help?

Du Plessis says including your solar panels in your homeowner’s insurance policy is the best way to ensure they’re protected.

“Insurance is the easiest and most cost-effective way to protect your solar system from a variety of threats,” he says.

Fire, lightning, explosions, storms, wind, hail, floods, impact, theft and malicious damage are covered by most insurers.

However, your insurer may withhold cover if your contractor failed to install your solar system correctly, or if faulty components were used.

“Your insurance company is not going to cover poor workmanship or defective product design,” Du Plessis says.

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“If the damage is not from a faulty product or faulty installation, then your insurance policy will cover it”.

Contractors should also have insurance to cover damage which may occur during installation.

“Just like builders have third-party insurance, installers must also have insurance, and they must show you proof.”

How do I make sure I am covered by insurance?

Whether adding your newly-installed solar panels to an already existing insurance policy or buying new insurance, you’ll have to tick some important boxes.

You will need to send them a detailed list of your solar system showing the brand of equipment used, numbers and specifications of all the components.

You will also need to provide an electrical certificate of compliance issued by a master electrician. This proves your solar system meets electrical quality and safety standards.

In some cases, an insurer might ask you for a structural engineer’s report confirming that your roof is strong enough to handle the weight of your solar system.

Since each solar panel weighs about 40 kg, installing numerous panels could weaken your roof.

“We’ve seen reports in the media of collapsed roofs after bad solar installations. That’s because the structural integrity of the roof wasn’t enough to carry the weight of the solar installation,” Du Plessis explains.

Though most insurers will request these documents, others may not. Du Plessis recommends submitting the documentation anyway to avoid the hassle of having to submit them during claims and keeping them in a safe place for future reference.

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What about theft and vandalism?

Crimes like theft typically increase over the festive season, with an expert recently warning of levels rising by as much as 200 to 300% in the last three months of the year.

Insuring your solar panels can help provide some peace of mind, as most insurers cover theft, attempted theft and malicious damage.

While your solar panels may be enticing to would-be thieves, Du Plessis says if it is installed properly there may be less to worry about because using a competent installer can make solar panels harder to remove.

“The presence of a solar system could also be a deterrent to criminals as most households make sure their security systems benefit from the always-on power supply. This means that security features such as alarms, electric fences, security cameras, motion sensors and outdoor beams are always active.”

So while you may experience a downpour this festive season, it doesn’t have to rain on your solar parade.