Innovative Solutions to Protect Solar Plants Against Hail and Extreme Weather

Challenge

The Current Situation

In recent decades, climate change has accelerated the incidence of extreme weather events worldwide, including severe hailstorms. These phenomena not only threaten the safety of people and property but also present significant challenges for photovoltaic plant operators, as evidenced by the recent cases of damage worldwide. The increasing frequency and intensity of hailstorms pose a growing risk to photovoltaic installations, which are continuously exposed to the elements. The vulnerability of these systems to hail is heightened by the size and speed of hailstones capable of causing severe damage to solar panels and other critical infrastructure components. 

The higher frequency of such extreme weather events is underscoring the importance of advanced protection strategies and risk management. The damage not only compromises the physical integrity of the PV modules but also results in considerable energy production losses.  

These extreme weather events have led to high repair costs and production interruptions, highlighting the urgent need for effective hail protection solutions. 

Enel is seeking innovative solutions to protect photovoltaic power plants and PV panels from hail and other extreme weather events. Current measures, such as damage monitoring and risk identification, have been implemented but are not sufficient to fully mitigate the risks. 

The challenge is to find a solution that has the following qualities: 

• Is able to avoid damage of PV modules from Hail impact considering hail dimensions superior to 3 cm;   
• Can be adoptable on MW-scale photovoltaic power plants covering up to 1.000 hectares. 
• Does not impact the energy production during normal operation 
• Costs: capex <= (500-550€/MW) & opex: 50 €/(MW*year) for a plant size>= 50 MW.  
• Does not require civil works nor governmental authorization. 
• Does not affect surrounding flora and fauna. 

The Solution:

Must haves:

• TRL ≥ 7 
• Functionalities: a solution able to protect PV asset and in particular PV modules from hail damages. 
• Operation and Energy production: a self-powered solution able to operate, protecting the asset of the PV plant, even when power supply of PV source is not available and even when power supply of the grid is not available. Add-on materials or electronic devices (based to any physical principle) are allowed with the condition with not compromising the O&M of the plant or not decrease the power performance of the plant. 
• Scalability: The solution must be scalable to different sizes of PV plants, from small installations to large utility-scale farms. 
• Scalability for large installations: Be adoptable on MW-scale photovoltaic power plants involving an area of up to approximately 1.000 hectares. 
• Non-impact on energy production: The solution should not impact the producibility of the power plant. 
• Cost-effectiveness: The total cost of implementation (including maintenance) should not exceed a predefined budget per MW of installed capacity (Have a cost less than 550-600€/MW). 
• No civil works required nor governmental authorization. 
• Regulatory compliance: Not requiring governmental authorization for its use/adoption. 
• Durability and longevity: The solution must have a lifespan that matches or exceeds that of the photovoltaic modules (typically 20-25 years) and require minimal maintenance. 
• Ease of installation: The solution must be easy to install and integrate with existing PV infrastructure without significant downtime or disruption. 
• Robustness: The solution must withstand other environmental factors such as strong winds, heavy rain, and UV radiation without degrading in performance. 
• Environmental impact: No impact on the surrounding flora and fauna. 
• Environmental compliance: The solution must comply with all relevant environmental regulations and standards. 

Nice to Have: 

• Integration with existing systems: Allow the plant to be secured by automatically dialoguing with existing control systems. 
• Events alerting: Generating alert, at least 15 minutes before the hail events, using the data processed by local devices. 
• Automation: The solution should include automated features that require minimal human intervention once installed, such as automated activation and deactivation based on weather conditions. 
• Remote monitoring: The solution should provide remote monitoring capabilities, allowing operators to oversee system performance and receive alerts from any location. 
• Real-time data integration: The solution must be capable of integrating with existing weather monitoring and forecasting systems to provide accurate and timely alerts. 
• Compatibility with different panel types: The solution should be compatible with various types of photovoltaic panels, including mono-crystalline, poly-crystalline, and thin-film. 
• Modular design: The solution should have a modular design that allows for easy upgrades and scalability as new technologies become available. 
• Aesthetic integration: The solution should be designed to minimize visual impact, maintaining the aesthetic appeal of the solar plant. 
• Energy efficiency: The solution should use minimal energy, preferably drawing power from the solar installation itself. 
• User-friendly interface: The solution should come with a user-friendly interface for monitoring and controlling the system. 
• Predictive analytics: Incorporation of predictive analytics to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and hail predictions. 

Deliverables

Proposals shall be submitted to the platform openinnovability.com in a single stage including the following information in English:

• Detailed proposal: A comprehensive description of the innovative solution, including the methodology, technologies involved, and expected outcomes and associated costs (implementation and maintenance. 
• Technical specifications and implementation plan: Detailed technical specifications of the proposed solution, along with a step-by-step implementation plan. 
• Supporting documentation: Any additional supporting materials, diagrams, simulations, or research that help in understanding and evaluating the proposed solution. 
• Costs overview: An indication of the costs associated with the implementation and maintenance of the solution. 
• Proof of Concept: A proof-of-concept description to explain and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution in real-world condition. 

A summary of the solution characteristics by answering directly the following “Vetting questions” (Please highlight all the answers that apply) 

1.Which of the following features does your solution have? 

• Integration with Existing Systems 
• Automation 
• Remote Monitoring 
• Real-time Data Integration 
• Compatibility with Different Panel Types 
• Modular Design 
• Aesthetic Integration 
• Energy Efficiency 
• User-friendly Interface 
• Predictive Analytics 

2. What TRL is your solution? 

• <7 
• 7 
• 8 
• 9 

3. What is the max size of the hailstone your solution protects against? 

• 3-5 cm 
• 5-7 cm 
• >=7 cm 

4. How much does your solution cost to produce?  

• <500 €/MW 
• 500-1000 €/MW 
• >1000 €/MW 

5. Does your solution require expertise to install/operate? 

• Yes 
• No 

Workshop

SAVE THE DATE! Join us for the workshop dedicated to this challenge that will take place on 5 November 2024 [LINK TO THE WORKSHOP]. 

You will have the chance to hear from the Challenge Owner about the challenge details and to ask questions directly to the Enel Green Power team: don’t miss the opportunity to perfect your solution and meet the solution requirements. 

What Happens Next?

After the Challenge deadline, the Challenge Owner will complete the review process and decide with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All participants that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions however, no detailed evaluation of individual submissions will be provided. 

The Challenge Owner will evaluate the proposal considering the Solution required features and characteristics, focusing the following criteria: 

• Overall scientific and technical feasibility of the proposed solution; 
• Economic potential of concept (e.g. Total Cost of Ownership); 
• Business potential for the Challenge Owner; 
• Novelty and not obviousness; 
• Potential for proprietary position (i.e., is the technology novel or protectable); 
• User’s capabilities and related experience; 
• Realism of the proposed solution; 
• Maturity level of the proposal. 

If the reward includes the opportunity to collaborate with Enel, once one or more suitable solutions have been identified, Enel will reserve the opportunity to start a collaboration, by way of example, on all or part of the following activities: 

• Test execution; 
• Supply of prototypes (if the solution includes equipment); 
• Installation and site tests; 
• Follow up and monitoring of the proposed idea behavior. 

At the end of the assessment, you will receive feedback. 

In case of success, an Enel contact person will get in touch with you to discuss the next steps. 

The final award for this Challenge is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the pre-awarding process, including acceptance of the Challenge Regulation that is the regulation for this Challenge. 

The pre-awarding process includes obtaining some documents from the participants such as Counterparty Analysis Questionnaire (CAQ) and Challenge Regulation signed.