Evaluation of wind loads on solar panel modules using CFD

Due to the growing interest in alternative energy sources, the demand for solar energy technologies in Florida, "the Sunshine State," and around the United States is on the rise. The existing types of technology, methods of installation, and mounting locations (ground, roof, or integrated with the building envelope) vary significantly, and are consequently affected by wind loads differently. The present study attempted to investigate the aerodynamic features of ground-mounted solar panels under atmospheric boundary layer flows using two techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD): the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations turbulence modeling approach adapted to obtain initial conditions for use by the more reliable Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique. The CFD results have been compared and validated with a full-scale experimental measurement performed at the Wall of Wind (WoW) testing facili- ty at Florida International University (FIU). In addition to depicting detail aerodynamic flow characteristics such as flow separation and sheltering effects etc that can provide a better insight to designers, the LES results showed good agreement on the pressure distribution patterns and in some cases on the magnitude as well when compared with the full-scale measurements. Overall the LES underestimated the mean pressures compared to the full-scale measurements.

[1]  Guido Buresti,et al.  Large-eddy simulation of the flow around a triangular prism with moderate aspect ratio , 2006 .

[2]  H L Chevalier,et al.  Wind loads on solar collector panels and support structure , 1979 .

[3]  Horia Hangan,et al.  Wind Loading on Solar Panels at Different Inclination Angles , 2002 .

[4]  Theodore Stathopoulos,et al.  Computational wind engineering: Past achievements and future challenges , 1997 .

[5]  Shuzo Murakami,et al.  3-D numerical simulation of airflow around a cubic model by means of the k-ϵ model , 1988 .

[6]  S. Murakami,et al.  Comparison of various revised k–ε models and LES applied to flow around a high-rise building model with 1:1:2 shape placed within the surface boundary layer , 2008 .

[7]  Muhammad R. Hajj,et al.  Large-eddy simulation of flow over a surface-mounted prism using a high-order finite-difference scheme , 2008 .

[8]  Tetsuro Tamura,et al.  LES of the flow and building wall pressures in the center of Tokyo , 2008 .

[9]  Arindam Gan Chowdhury,et al.  Development of devices and methods for simulation of hurricane winds in a full-scale testing facility , 2009 .

[10]  David Surry,et al.  Wind loads on a solar array , 2002 .

[11]  Kung-Ming Chung,et al.  Reduction of wind uplift of a solar collector model , 2008 .

[12]  Tetsuro Tamura,et al.  AIJ guide for numerical prediction of wind loads on buildings , 2006 .

[13]  Ismail Celik,et al.  Large eddy simulation of a square cylinder flow: Modelling of inflow turbulence , 2007 .