Wind load on the solar panel array of a floating photovoltaic system under extreme hurricane conditions

Abstract

The installation of floating photovoltaic systems has been gradually increasing to meet the demand for clean and eco-friendly power generation. However, hurricanes subject the solar panels to harsh conditions with large drag and lift forces. Balancing the wind loads and buoyancy force is important to prevent floating structures from sinking or overturning. In this study, numerical simulations were performed to predict the wind loads on solar panels at various turbulence intensities (0.1–0.3) and wind speeds (35–75 m/s). The first row of solar panels showed the highest drag and lift coefficients at different turbulence intensities. The drag and lift coefficients of the solar panel array gradually decreased along the wind direction because of the sheltering effect of the first row of solar panels. Furthermore, the drag and lift forces on the solar panels increased with the turbulent kinetic energy, especially for the first row of solar panels. The effect of the wind angle of attack was also analyzed, and the in-line wind direction cases (0° and 180°) showed higher drag and lift coefficients than the other cases. The drag and lift coefficients showed similar values regardless of the wind speed because of the turbulent flow condition. Correlations were derived to predict the drag and lift forces on solar panels at various wind speeds, which can be used as guidelines for designing the structure of a floating photovoltaic system and its solar panels.