1954 Photovoltaic technology is born in the United States when Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson develop the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labs—the first solar cell capable of converting enough of the sun's energy into power to run everyday electrical.
Solar panels are rated for hail impact which is roughly the impact of a 1" hail ball striking the panel at 52 mph. The tempered glass protects the solar cells under this type of impact.