Structural analysis and comparative study of photovoltaic panel mounting systems in Northern Cyprus

Abstract

Northern Cyprus has made efforts to lessen its reliance on oil products and increase the usage of solar energy and installation of Photovoltaic (PV) panels. The design of lightweight structures, such as PV panel mounting systems, is significantly influenced by the characteristics of wind loads. Inaccurate calculations or a failure to take the wind load into account have recently resulted in substantial financial losses and damage to equipment and structures. In addition, the installation manner has remarkable effects on the output and efficiency of the PV panels. The wind loads on roof-mounted PV panels are examined in this study by considering two different heights for the building and different span lengths based on two loading standards; ASCE 7-16 and TS498, and the results and accuracy of each result are evaluated. Additionally, 64 rooftop PV panel mounting systems were developed to investigate the effects of factors including beam span length, load resisting system, column arrangement, available roof area, and required spacing between arrays. Deflection of the beams, cost of the mounting systems, weight of the mounting systems, and aesthetics of the building after installing PV panels are evaluated in this study.