I have hurricane shutters and mine are 8 ft from my windows. They are electric and large. I don't get any solar gain since the area in between is pretty 8 ft. However when shut they darken everything and are no solution to me. They are expensive, heavy and required maintenance. However if I went with them I would not need impact glass.
Having 9 years of experience with them I will not be putting them on my new home.
I can see those that would appreciate having them but each to their own.
When I get back in a couple weeks I will take a few pictures of them for those interested so you can see what is installed.
Two 14 foot and one 7 foot electric horizontal aluminum heavy gage shutters...