Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1253-139X
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 4-4-2025
Abstract
Solar panels are a cornerstone of renewable energy infrastructure, playing a pivotal role in global sustainability efforts. To ensure their resilience and long-term viability, accurate wind load estimations are essential for designing supporting structures, which account for nearly 50% of their total cost. However, traditional building codes lack comprehensive guidance for solar panels, resulting in inconsistent estimations due to discrepancies in scaled wall-bounded wind tunnel testing methodologies. These inaccuracies pose safety risks, increase costs, and hinder adoption. Emerging technologies like computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations offer a promising alternative by enabling full-scale analysis under realistic conditions of complete turbulence. This paper explores the impact of geometric scale and inflow turbulence on wind load estimation, providing actionable insights to standardize testing protocols, improve reliability, and advance codification efforts for engineers, policymakers, renewable energy stakeholders, and the public.
Recommended Citation
Aly, Aly Mousaad. “Wind-Resilient Solar: Harnessing CFD for Enhanced Load Estimation.” WISE Research Lab, Louisiana State University, 2025.
Included in
Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Commons, Applied Mechanics Commons, Civil Engineering Commons, Structural Engineering Commons