VDE Americas

When all hail breaks loose—have a plan. Don't gamble with your investment returns. VDE Americas is the world's leading expert on hail risk assessment for utility-scale solar farms. Join us.

On a local scale, tornadoes are the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena. An EF-2 tornado, like the one that hit this solar farm, is characterized by wind speeds in the 113–157 mph range. This is a significant tornado capable of pushing over a railroad boxcar. https://lnkd.in/gtVDkHSC

You can now see climate risk data when shopping for a home on Zillow https://lnkd.in/eDpHytzn

ICYMI: “Although property insurance and warranties play a crucial role in mitigating [property damage] risks, they do not eliminate the perils associated with severe hailstorms. Insurance often does not cover all exposure, and warranties are subject to carve-outs, photovoltaic (PV) module design standard limitations, and burden of proof. Where PV module hail resilience is insufficient on its own to reduce the risk of hail damage to acceptable levels in utility-scale projects deployed using single-axis trackers, project stakeholders must use defensive hail stow procedures to enhance system-level resiliency.” https://lnkd.in/gYcda39S

"Utility-scale solar tracker provider Array Technologies unveiled at the RE+ Events solar industry conference this September that it is developing a new solar tracker with a 77-degree stowing tilt capability. The 77-degree tilt tracker is designed to move solar panels out of direct line from hail impacts, or stow from heavy wind damage or other weather events." https://lnkd.in/emmC2J63

“Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the outskirts of Spruce Pine, a town of less than 2,200, are two mines that produce the world’s purest quartz, which formed in the area some 380 million years ago. The material is a key component in the global supply chain for semiconductor chips, which power everything from smartphones and cars to medical devices and solar panels.” https://lnkd.in/gayM5wke

"Under current human-driven climate-warming trajectories, hailstorms will more frequently produce larger hailstones by mid-to-late century—as in the kind of ice orbs that can damage aircraft, shatter windshields, leave divots in your roof shingles and pose serious safety risks... By mid- and late-century periods, the number of days with severe hailstorms producing large hailstones in the atmosphere is projected to robustly increase in most locations outside of the southern Plains, a distribution that closely mimics previous projections of thunderstorm days, according to the study. The simulations found the most significant increases in large aloft hail during future storms in the Midwest, Ohio Valley and Northeast. The changes are most pronounced under the pessimistic greenhouse gas concentration trajectories." https://lnkd.in/dUDBQrx6

As a new member of the Esri Partner Network, VDE Americas supports ArcGIS users with hail meteorology and solar project financial hail risk maps. These data sets cover the Continental United States (CONUS). Our hail return interval data can help insurers, risk advisors, technical advisory firms, and other service providers understand location-specific hail risk, which affects agriculture (crops and livestock), transportation (car dealerships), and the built environment (homes, businesses, and civic facilities) throughout the CONUS. https://lnkd.in/g8ipWp2f

Thanks to the VDE Americas team for bringing the energy to RE+. Together, we are de-risking and protecting tomorrow’s critical energy assets to ensure a future worth living. Some days, that work demands the power of a sprinter. Mostly, it requires the stamina of a marathon runner—as analysts predict that solar will account for more than 50% of global electricity generation capacity by 2050! Big things are in store for the future. (If you know, you know; if you don’t know, stay tuned.) We hope that you had a productive and informative RE+. And we hope that you enjoyed recharging your batteries at Disneyland. Hold on tight! John Sedgwick Brian Grenko Jon Previtali Bill Reaugh Bodo Littmann Meghan S. Dennis Weaver Jonathan Allen Kara Mullaney Shivam Khosla Daniel Moghtader Tyjal DeWolf-Moura Albert C. David Brearley

If you'll be in Houston next week for the Infocast Tax Credit & Transferability conference, don't miss the Day 2 panel presentation featuring Jon Previtali: "Insurer Perspectives on Mitigating and Indemnifying Risks in Tax Credit Transfer Deals—Where Is the Market Headed?" This?panel will address how project developers and sponsors are working to optimize project financing in the post-IRA era. This panel will address: ? Risk allocation in transactions ? Today's tax insurance policy structures ? Tax insurance for hybrid or transfer deals ? Buyer demand for full wrap insurance in transfer deals ? Using insurance to access capital in a timely manner ? Tax recapture risk in the transfer market ? Insurance for people combining debt with sales of tax equity ? Addressing project and operational risk with insurance ? Policy sizing in response to potential penalties and tax gross ups