Featured in Women at work – 08-2019

PV in need of a new chapter for wind

In part two of this feature on wind resilience in the PV industry, the lack of structural codes comes into focus. Weather events, and wind above all, are the most common causes of failure for PV plants. In the United States, the first steps have been taken to catch up with other industries and a dedicated chapter for PV is set to be included in the next update of the American Society of Civil Engineers code. In Europe, no such plans are in place.

By

Marian Willuhn

20 Aug 2019

Wind tunnel tests are no longer solely used in the aerospace industry. Aside from jet engines, PV trackers, bridges, skyscrapers, cars and stadiums are also tested with wind tunnels. However, the testing methodology for PV is not yet standardized. Skyscrapers must undergo dynamic wind load testing, but PV arrays do not … even though many argue that this is a dangerous fallacy. | Image: NASA

The July edition of pv magazine featured an article that examined the mechanical function of torsional galloping. Some claim the process is the top cause of damage in the PV tracker business and have raised concerns about the technology’s bankability in the past. Torsional galloping describes the frequent vortex shedding at the leading and trailing …

This article is part of pv+

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