What is it about the fact that a full-grown bull could sleep on our modules, but you are still not allowed to walk on them!

As already mentioned speaking about hail resistance test on aleo modules, extreme weather events are becoming quite common along with related serious social and economical consequences. Whether it depends from human activities or rather from a natural climate evolution is currently being very much debated within scholars. What we can do in order to try to limit as much as possible any negative impact we might have on the environment, is thinking ahead and produces goods meant to last for a long time, even in harsh conditions.

In 2015, Tuscany was hit by a violent typhoon with gusts of wind blowing at a speed of 150km/h. Two out of ten aleo panels installed on a roof in that area were thrown several yards away. Only one out of the two was deemed useless and needed to be replaced, while the other was still working perfectly (proved by electroluminescence test) and could be newly installed.

Nothing but luck? Not really. Static and Dynamic Mechanical Tests (both load than suction) are matters not to be joked about in aleo and are taken very seriously, because the harsher the requirements our modules can stand during the test phase (replicating transport, installation and real life operating conditions), the better they will solar-power your life for at least 25 years. Let’s take a small moment to investigate what do these tests mean and how they can be translated in your offer.

When it´s all about being robust

Static mechanical load standard tests perform a pressure load on the photovoltaic panel in a constant manner. During this laboratory test, load and pressure are fixed, while the direction of the force changes every hour. While testing our X63 panel we exceeded test requirements of IEC 61215 and evenly exerted a load of approximately 1,400kg (i.e.800kg/m²) on its entire surface (so much to give an idea, the equivalent of two meters of wet snow with a specific weight of 400kg/m²).

Static mechanical load tests apply also to suction loads: 2,400Pa are the equivalent of winds blowing at a speed of 130km/h, with safety factor 3 for gusts of wind. The X-line from aleo passed the static mechanical load test with 5400 Pa.So, going back to what happened in Tuscany in 2015 and to the fact that one of the two panels was still working properly in spite of the typhoon, it confirms aleo is on the right track.

During the Dynamic Mechanical load test we perform, even if it is still not mandatory, strains remain equal to 1,000Pa but change every 12 seconds. Why so fast? Because that’s what it happens in real life conditions, when the panels are delivered by the job site, after a hundreds-km journey on a truck driving on different road paves and are then quickly unloaded and installed.

Anyway, just so we’re clear. Although they can easily bear the weight of a big bull lying on their surface while napping in the sun, the aleo panels are not walkable. And the reason for this is very simple: wind and snow hit the entire surface of the module evenly, which is not the case when you walk on it, because in this case the weight is punctual (reaching over 4,000 kg/m2!) and the load only applies to certain points. Walking on the panels means damaging them, if not breaking them, with obvious negative effects on the yield and on the aesthetics of the system.

Any Questions? Get in touch!