Specifications and requirements for wind tunnel testing of photovoltaic panels

AS 5033 (Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays), details the many electrical and safety issues that must be considered in designing and installing a photo voltaic solar panel system. Clause 2.2.5 in the standard also considers the effects of wind loading on PV arrays including the mounting system.

Find out how the ASCE 7 standard affects wind load, seismic load, and tornado load considerations for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

In this report, we provide sample calculations for determining wind loads on PV arrays based on ASCE Standard 7-05. We focus on applying the existing codes and standards to the typical residential application of PV arrays mounted parallel to the roof slope and relatively close (3 to 6 inches) to the roof surface.

Boundary layer wind tunnel tests were performed to determine wind loads over ground mounted photovoltaic modules, considering two situations: stand-alone and forming an array of panels. Several wind directions and inclinations of the photovoltaic modules were taken into account in order to detect possible wind load combinations that may lead to .

1. REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPER WIND TUNNEL TESTING Thanks to the aforementioned works, it is well established in the PV industry that wind loads must be established using boundary layer wind tunnel testing performed with geometries specific to the panel and mounting system being used.

Specifications and requirements for wind tunnel testing of photovoltaic panels [PDF] Chat with us

6 FAQs about [Specifications and requirements for wind tunnel testing of photovoltaic panels]

Do I need wind tunnel testing for my rooftop PV installation?

We recommend wind tunnel testing be conducted for the most common rooftop PV installations to verify methods and calculations. The installation types include stand- off mounting parallel to the roof, stand-off mounting at an incline relative to the roof, and ballasted installations on flat roofs.

Can solar panels be tested in physical wind tunnels?

Hence, the possibility of testing the solar panels in physical wind tunnels at relatively large-scales when the objective is to estimate mean pressure values. This may lead to confidence in the measured mean wind loads as well as better resolution of the mean pressures. Fig. 11.

What is wind tunnel testing?

Wind tunnel testing is a key experimental method for the evaluation of wind effects on rooftop PV panels of lowrise buildings and most findings were incorporated in the ASCE 7-16 Standard. ... ...

How can wind loads be predicted in a wind tunnel?

For large structures, e.g. high-rise buildings, wind loads are easier to be predicted by wind tunnel testing (at geometric scales ranging from 1:100 to 1:500) as the flow depicts all necessary turbulence content; however, for small structures, for example solar panels, testing in wind tunnels can be challenging.

What is a boundary layer wind tunnel test?

Boundary layer wind tunnel tests were performed to determine wind loads over ground mounted photovoltaic modules, considering two situations: stand-alone and forming an array of panels.

Do solar panels have a wind load?

The majority of studies focused on investigating wind loads on solar panels mounted on rooftops of low-rise buildings. To provide guidelines for estimating wind loads on solar panels, a design code was developed by the Solar Photovoltaic Systems Committee from Structural Engineering Association of California (SEAOC, 2012).

Specifications and requirements for wind tunnel testing of photovoltaic panels