HailProtect hail resistant modules available now
BAUER Solar is the pioneer in hail resistant modules in Canada with a 3.2 mm fully tempered front glass and 2.0 mm heat strengthened rear glass, tested to 50 mm hail stones.
BAUER’s HailProtect™ hail resistant reinforced glass architecture (3.2 + 2.0 MM) compared to standard 2.0 + 2.0 mm modules delivers:
- 2.5× greater impact tolerance
- 4x higher glass stiffness = increases the overall rigidity of the module
- Reduced micro cracking risk = lower power degradation over time
- Improved long-term structural stability
- Reduced installation breakage from clamp tightening
- Improved wind and snow load durability
Why HailProtect?
The probability of PV module hail damage is growing rapidly as hailstorms are becoming more powerful and PV installations increase in size and frequency across the landscape.
Insurance companies are demanding increased hail resistance for all building materials including solar modules.
There are no hail resistant modules available in the Canadian market from Chinese manufacturers like Longi, Trina, Canadian Solar, Thornova or JA below 15 MW minimum order quantity, which is inaccessible to most companies.
Benefits of HailProtect in non-hail regions
Even in areas where hail isn’t a known risk, BAUER HailProtect modules provide meaningful value to the full lifecycle of the project by increasing durability and reliability.
- Stronger modules = lower long-term degradation
- Thicker glass doesn’t just help with hail—it improves resistance to:
- Thermal stress (freeze/thaw cycles)
- Mechanical loads (snow, wind pressure)
- Microcracking from handling or vibration
- Microcracks can reduce output over time, even without visible damage. A more robust module slows that degradation curve
- Result: better performance retention over 30 years
- Thicker glass doesn’t just help with hail—it improves resistance to:
- Better all-weather resilience
- Extreme weather volatility is increasing
- Storms are becoming more violent, creating opportunities for physical damage from wind, debris, etc.
- HailProtect modules have better wind load tolerance, better snow load handing, and improved durability during transport/install
- Non-hail weather related events are increasing in frequency and strength
- Hail is becoming less geographically predictable
- Result: fewer failures across all stress scenarios
- Extreme weather volatility is increasing
- Reduced “invisible damage” risk
- Moderate impacts such as debris, mishandling, or small hail can cause cell-level cracks that aren’t visible but reduce output
- HailProtect modules are built to absorb and distribute impact energy better (thicker glass and frames)
- Result: less hidden performance loss
- Insurance and bankability benefits
- Hail is one of the largest drivers of solar insurance claims globally
- HailProtect modules reduce perceived risk for insurers and lenders and potentially improve financing terms or insurability
- Insurers are also concerned about non-hail weather events and increasing frequencies of storms
- All commercial project proposals over 0.5 MW received by BAUER Solar Canada in the last 12 months in Alberta have included requests for “hail risk mitigation” strategies, even when the proposed project was outside of “hail alley”
- Result: lower perceived project risk and lower insurance premiums
