NORWALK, CT., January 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GameChange Solar (GCS), a leading global provider of single-axis solar trackers, announced the release of an updated version of its white paper “Reliable Hail Mitigation: Technical and Economic Optimization for Solar Trackers.” The white paper provides a comprehensive overview of hail mitigation, including discussions on appropriate triggers for hail lashing, hail lashing tilt angles, wind coinciding with hail, and a case study identifying the lowest LCOE based on different hail mitigation approaches.
The updated edition incorporates the results of a new study by CPP Wind Engineering Consultants regarding wind direction during hail events. The CPP study, summarized in the note “Wind Directionality During Hail Events,” analyzes wind direction in +/- 30 minutes over 137 hail events at one site in East Texas, USA, and 48 hail events at a separate site in Queensland, Australia. The CPP has calculated that the vast majority of storms accompanied by hail, 75% or more, produce winds from both the east and west. The study concludes: “The direction of storm movement or the wind direction at ground level before hail appears are not reliable indicators of hail direction because conditions change rapidly. »
Based on this analysis, GameChange recommends that owners purchase trackers designed for wind loads acting on both the front and rear sides of the module. Additionally, owners and insurers cannot assume that modules are always facing the wind in the event of hail, even for trackers capable of storing either east or west, storm by storm.
“We are concerned that some tracker OEMs in the industry are encouraging solar asset owners to place too much emphasis on the direction a tracker turns during a hail event,” says Scott Van Pelt, chief engineer at GameChange. “Our understanding, based on conversations with the RPC and several insurers, is that it is much more important that the tracker is rotated to a steep tilt angle of at least 60 degrees and that the system is regularly tested to ensure the trackers rotate reliably to tuck away when there is a risk of hail in the forecast.”
The white paper is available on demand on the GameChange website and was discussed at GameChange Solar’s Solar Insights event in New York last month.
About GameChange Solar
GameChange is a top three global provider of solar tracking solutions used in utility-scale and ground-mounted distributed solar generation projects worldwide. We have delivered more than 53 GW of solar tracking and fixed tilt systems that combine rapid installation, bankable quality and unbeatable value through superior engineering, innovative design and software, and high-volume manufacturing. Our products enable solar panels in power plants to track the movement of the sun across the sky, thereby optimizing plant performance while protecting the grid from harmful weather conditions.
For more information, visit www.gamechangesolar.com
Contact:
Lisa Andrews
Marketing Director
GameChange Solar
lisa.andrews@gamechangesolar.com
SOURCE GameChange Solar
