A severe hail storm in Italy’s Marche region damaged several PV systems, with industry representatives reporting a rise in hail-related losses in recent years.
A powerful hail storm swept across Italy’s Marche region this week, bringing intense thunderstorms, damaging winds, and severe weather conditions along the Adriatic coast. Large hailstones battered parts of the region, causing damage to vehicles, crops, and property while leaving communities facing a difficult cleanup.
Photovoltaic systems have also been affected by the severe weather. “In the 15 years we have been managing PV systems, hail damage has been extremely rare. However, over the past two or three years, these incidents have increased significantly. This summer alone, we have already recorded a second event in the Marche region that has destroyed solar installations,” Michele Mencarelli, the Marche regional representative for Italian PV association Italia Solare, told pv magazine Italia.
Mencarelli explained that these hail events are typically highly localized, affecting specific areas while leaving nearby locations untouched. “Of the approximately 200 systems we manage, only one was damaged in this event, with losses estimated at around €80,000 to €90,000. In early June, a similar storm caused comparable damage to two systems in Monteroberto, near Jesi. A PV system located just a few hundred meters away was unaffected, while the two impacted installations were destroyed.”
