A strong storm accompanied by hail hit Erechim, in the North of Rio Grande do Sul, this Sunday (23), leaving around 160 people injured and damaging several photovoltaic systems. Given the damage caused to the municipality, Mayor Paulo Polis declared a State of Emergency.
According to an investigation by the Canal According to Solar, most injuries were caused by shards of glass and broken roof tiles during the intense hailstorm. In some areas, people are without electricity, internet, and telephone service.
Governor Eduardo Leite has authorized an emergency allocation of R$ 1,5 million for the purchase of roof tiles, which will be provided to the affected families.
Creral, a distribution and generation cooperative based in the city, confirmed that two of its solar power plants were hit. One of them, with a capacity of 3 MWp, had 90% of its 4.400 modules destroyed. The 54 kWp system installed on the roof of the administrative headquarters, intended for self-consumption, also suffered significant damage to its panels.
The cooperative emphasized that extreme weather events highlight the importance of maintaining adequate insurance coverage. "These are unpredictable events, and the panels are exposed to risk, since, for optimal performance, they are installed on rooftops or ground-level structures. Insurance mitigates the losses," Creral stated in a press release.
The recommendation for affected property owners is to keep inverters and modules switched off until the structures can be safely restored.
In the distribution segment, the cooperative acts as a public service concessionaire for 8 members in 37 municipalities in northern Rio Grande do Sul. In generation, it currently operates 26 power plants in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, totaling 74,76 MW of installed capacity, including 8 hydroelectric, 17 solar, and 1 thermal plant.
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