Feedback on changing from wind power to solar for a very old

[efhmc]

windmill on a cattle ranch. Am mostly concerned about hail.

[Kali]

1. for a well? how deep?

new pump? how often do you get hail? can you get insurance to cover the damage? solar is sure a lot more regular/reliable than wind.

[efhmc]

3. That well is probably over 50 years old, perhaps even 70.

I looked in old files and can't find any orgiinal information. It is at least 500+ feet and has been reliable until about 5 years ago. Finnlly getting some money to put it right instead of just patching and making do.

[royable]

2. What if you put a roof over the solar panels to protect them from hail?

Ha ha. I joke.

But seriously, are there souped-up solar panels with an extra-durable top layer, something that could stand up to the worst of hail and still let light through within the necessary wavelength range? Even if the light transmission were slightly reduced, if you're only powering a water pump, it's not as though you'd need a huge number of square feet of panels.

This from someone with no experience in the field.

Glancing online quickly with a google search of "solar panel hail damage" I see no mention of such an extra-durable variety of panel, but I would think someone would manufacture them. Or perhaps you could install your own plexiglass over the panels...

[efhmc]

4. The well man has suggested solar instead of an electic pump.

Seems we are slowly replacing all the wind driven mills. I am sorry to see them go. We have really bad hail storms in this part of Texas. We once had about $30,000 worth of damage done. It is on my list to talk to the insurance agent before going any further. Pretty sure it is not in original policy but wondering about a rider. Another rancher says he has installed several solar units but it has only been two years since the installation and we haven't had any bad hail storms during that time.