CFD INVESTIGATION OF WIND LOADS ON PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAYS WITH DIFFERENT TILT ANGLES UNDER COMPLEX WIND INCIDENCE ANGLES

Lin Aijun; Ma Yanhua; Gao Shengyang

doi:10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2025-0742

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Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (9) : 288-293. DOI: 10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2025-0742

CFD INVESTIGATION OF WIND LOADS ON PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAYS WITH DIFFERENT TILT ANGLES UNDER COMPLEX WIND INCIDENCE ANGLES

Lin Aijun¹, Ma Yanhua², Gao Shengyang²

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Abstract

The computational fluid dynamics software ANSYS Fluent, based on the Standard k-ε turbulence model, is employed to investigate the distribution of surface wind pressure and the aerodynamic shape coefficients of photovoltaic （PV） arrays under varying wind incidence and installation angles. The results illustrate that the front-row PV modules are highly sensitive to angle variations. The downward vertical pressure loads are significantly increased with the installation tilt angle. Due to the shielding effect of the front row, low surface pressure fluctuations are observed on the downstream modules. Flow-field stabilization characteristics are exhibited in the third and fourth rows. The suction effect on the lower surface of the array is dominated by low pressure induced by the flow around the array, and an overall increase in suction coefficient appears with increasing wind incidence angle. Nevertheless, owing to the effects of flow separation and reattachment, a stagewise reduction in local suction is identified in the second and third rows, forming a three-stage distribution pattern characterized as ‘front-row dominant, second-row transitional, and rear-row stabilized’.

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PV modules / numerical simulation / CFD / wind incidence angle / tilt angle

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Lin Aijun, Ma Yanhua, Gao Shengyang. CFD INVESTIGATION OF WIND LOADS ON PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAYS WITH DIFFERENT TILT ANGLES UNDER COMPLEX WIND INCIDENCE ANGLES[J]. Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica. 2026, 47(9): 288-293 https://doi.org/10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2025-0742

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