Solar panels are designed to be tough in order to withstand extreme weather elements including hail and storms. But when debris the size of golf balls suddenly rattle down, the havoc caused is often costly and beyond repair as witnessed on Saturday in southeast Queensland when freak hailstorms pounded the area.

A violent storm has left a trail of destruction and more than 160,000 homes and businesses without power, as it continues to lash Western Australia’s south west coast.