Terrasmart De-Risks Hail Damage with New Tracker Stow Feature

Withstand extreme weather and terrain challenges with cloud-based monitoring and industry-leading ground-mount portfolio

BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Terrasmart is excited to announce the release of a new hail stow feature for its single-axis tracker, TerraTrak. The hail stow capability brings additional risk mitigation functionality to PeakYield^™, Terrasmart's cloud-based tracker control and monitoring software platform. The hail mitigation system automatically triggers optimum stow position to protect solar assets without requiring operator intervention. Available for both 1P and 2P trackers, the hail stow solution adds to Terrasmart's foundation-agnostic racking portfolio that offers both ground screw and driven piles, designed specifically to perform in the most extreme terrain and weather conditions.

"Project de-risking has, and continues to be, our most significant contribution to the solar industry," says Terrasmart President Ed McKiernan. "Our new hail stow feature adds to our existing array of foundation and racking products that bring unique reliability to unreliable sites."

The Terrasmart hail stow solution brings key advantages to asset owners and operators, including:

• Automatic stow feature puts trackers into safe position without requiring operator intervention, reducing potential lapses from human factors
• High-tilt stow angle accounts for both wind and hail conditions, eliminating contradicting positions and ensuring a safe tracker position (+/- 50° for 1P and +/- 60° for 2P)
• Real-time, cloud-based weather forecast triggers activate based on industry-leading data from Accuweather
• Auto-stow feature activates 60 minutes before a weather event but timing can be customized to meet owner requirements
• Stow function does not require installing additional hardware or calibration over time

"Our motto at Terrasmart is to stow early and stow often," says Ashton Vandermark, software solutions lead. "We are adamant about automatically triggering hail protection to avoid instances where manual intervention has not occurred during storms. We are excited about this latest addition to PeakYield's cloud-based functionality and machine-learning intelligence to protect assets."

Hail represents one of the most devastating forms of weather that can impact US solar sites. According to insurance industry reports, hail accounts for less than 2% of solar project insurance claims by volume—but more than 50% of total dollar losses. Forty-year financial exposure models from engineering firm VDE Americas suggest that hail events could result in up to $13 million in damage at 0° tilt, compared to only $620,000 at 60°. 

Terrasmart's software team will be at RE+ in Anaheim September 10-12 in booth #D30011 to give live demos of PeakYield™ as well as discuss hail stow and other TerraTrak features. For more information on Terrasmart's portfolio and its PeakYield™ monitoring platform visit Terrasmart.com.

About Terrasmart
Terrasmart, the renewable energy business of Gibraltar Industries, Inc., is a leading provider of solar racking technologies, electrical balance-of-system products, installation services, and project optimization software. Serving the commercial and utility sectors across North America, Terrasmart integrates products and solutions across the PV lifecycle to minimize risks and maximize returns. With more than 25 GWs of solar deployed across 6,000 PV systems, Terrasmart creates unique value for more profitable solar anywhere. For more information, please visit Terrasmart.com.

Media Contact:
Ashleigh Kent, Director of Brand & Comms | [email protected] | 239.362.0211

SOURCE Terrasmart