Hail resistance of solar panels in Perth: what the standards cover and what they don't

Hail is a genuine, if relatively infrequent, risk for rooftop solar in Perth. Understanding what the hail test standard actually tests, how warranties treat hail damage, and what options exist if your panels are damaged helps set realistic expectations.

The IEC 61215 hail test

All mainstream solar panels sold in Australia must meet IEC 61215 (or equivalent) certification, which includes a hail resistance test.

Test parameters:

• Hailstone size: 25mm diameter (a 25-cent piece)
• Impact velocity: 23 m/s (approximately 83 km/h)
• Impact points: 11 locations on the panel face

What "passing" means: After the hail impacts, the panel must have no cracked glass, no delamination, and no degradation in electrical output beyond specified limits.

What the test does not cover:

• Hailstones larger than 25mm
• Higher velocity impacts (stronger storm conditions)
• Repeated hail impacts in the same storm
• Accumulated micro-cracking from multiple hail events over time

Larger hailstones (40–50mm or larger) that occur in severe supercell storms — more common in Queensland and New South Wales than Perth — can shatter panel glass even on IEC 61215-certified panels.

Perth's hail risk profile

Perth's climate produces significantly less hail than Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra. Perth's Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild winters, limits the convective instability that produces large hailstones.

Historical Perth hail events: Perth does experience hail, particularly in spring and early summer thunderstorm events. Most Perth hail is small (5–15mm) and falls briefly. Hailstones large enough to damage IEC 61215-certified panels are rare in Perth compared to eastern Australia.

Risk zones: Perth's eastern suburbs and Hills face somewhat higher thunderstorm frequency than coastal suburbs. The Darling Scarp area can experience more intense convective storms.

Net assessment for Perth: Standard IEC 61215-certified panels provide adequate protection for Perth's hail risk profile. There is no specific reason to pay a premium for enhanced hail-resistance glass in Perth absent other factors.

What panel warranties cover (and don't cover) for hail

Performance warranty: Covers degradation over time (typically 0.35–0.55% per year degradation rate). Hail is explicitly excluded — it is physical damage, not degradation.

Product warranty: Covers manufacturing defects. Hail damage is not a manufacturing defect — it is impact damage and is excluded.

Hail damage is an insurance claim, not a warranty claim.

Hail damage and home insurance

Rooftop solar panels that are permanently fixed to the building (the vast majority of residential systems) are typically covered under the building insurance section of a home insurance policy, not the contents section.

What to check in your policy:

• Does the building coverage explicitly include solar panels?
• Is storm damage (including hail) included as a named peril or covered under accidental damage?
• Is there a waiting period after installing solar before the coverage applies to the panels?

Most standard building insurance policies include storm/hail damage to fixed structures including solar. Some policies have exclusions for systems installed after the original policy was written — confirm with your insurer after installation.

Making a hail claim:

1. Document damage with photos (date-stamped) as soon as safely possible after the event
2. Obtain a written assessment from a CEC-accredited installer confirming hail damage vs existing condition
3. Contact your insurer's claims line — they typically arrange an independent assessor
4. Your monitoring data showing output drop after the event is useful supporting evidence

Replacement challenge: A hail-damaged system from 5–10 years ago may need replacement with current-generation panels (larger, different wattage). Insurers typically cover "replacement value" which for older panels may mean the cost of equivalent current-generation panels — discuss with your insurer whether this means the same panel count or equivalent capacity.

Does panel glass quality vary?

Some manufacturers offer panels with enhanced glass specifications:

• Standard solar glass: 3.2mm tempered glass
• Dual-glass (bifacial) panels: Glass front and glass back — some dual-glass panels use thicker glass, providing additional impact resistance
• Anti-reflective coated glass: Coating does not affect hail resistance

Relevant brands in Perth: Most mainstream panels (REC, Jinko Tiger Neo, JA Solar DeepBlue 4.0 Pro, Trina Vertex N) use standard 3.2mm tempered glass and pass IEC 61215. Some bifacial panels use 2.5mm glass front + 2.5mm glass back configuration, which may have slightly different hail response.

For Perth's hail risk profile, standard 3.2mm tempered glass panels are appropriate. There is no strong case for premium glass specifications based on Perth's hail exposure.

What to do after a suspected hail event

1. Check monitoring: The day after a hail event, check your inverter monitoring for any output drop or fault alerts
2. Visual inspection (safely): From ground level, check for visible damage (shattered glass on panels or on the ground below the array)
3. Do not go on the roof unless there is visible roof damage and you have the equipment to do so safely — rooftop DC cable after panel damage may be in an unknown state
4. Contact your installer: Ask them to perform a string performance test (I-V curve trace or thermal imaging) if you suspect damage — this confirms which panels are affected before an insurance claim
5. Contact your insurer: Initiate the claims process with your documentation

Perth's hail risk is lower than most of east Australia. IEC 61215-certified panels provide adequate protection for Perth conditions. Hail damage is an insurance event, not a warranty claim — confirm your building insurance covers rooftop solar panels and keep installer documentation for any claim.