Abstract
As photovoltaic (PV) power plants become more popular, it is important to understand how wind affects the temperature distribution and consequently performance of modules placed in different rows of a PV array. This study conducts a comprehensive three dimensional CFD simulation for two 5 by 10 PV arrays (with and without inter-row module spacing) to assess the effects of wind on PV array power output. By solving the continuity, momentum, and energy equations simultaneously, the temperature distribution in the PV modules and the surrounding air along with the resulting velocity profiles are obtained and investigated for two wind directions (northerly and southerly) and two wind speeds of 2 and 5 m/s. The electrical output of PV modules for the respective cases are then compared. The results show that the PV array with zero inter-row module spacing performs better under northerly wind and experiences a 5.3% increase in power output with increasing wind speed. However, the PV array with 3 cm spacing performs better under southerly wind and experiences a 4.6% increase in power output with increasing wind speed. It is found that the PV array with inter-row spacing generally performs better than the one with zero inter-row module spacing.
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