Single-axis solar trackers need to be designed with extreme weather conditions in mind for assets to resist damage and perform over the long term. Understanding fatigue loading and how wind can wear down the purlins that support ground-mounted solar installations is an important factor in system design.

In this pv magazine Webinar, we will review fatigue loading from hurricane and high-wind events and their impact on solar trackers. We will review existing code requirements for solar trackers and related best practices. The panelists will highlight shortcomings of current standards and make recommendations for new requirements and testing procedures that more accurately reflect real-world data. We’ll also see some examples of test results performed under the suggested procedures.

Attendees will walk away from the webinar with an improved understanding of how best-in-class design can mitigate the risks of fatigue loading from extreme winds and how to make educated equipment choices for high-wind project sites.

pv magazine Webinar content:

• Review wind fatigue loading impact on solar projects
• Discussion of novel analysis to determine cycle quantity and amplitude of fatigue loading during a hurricane
• Consider shortcomings of current standards and proposed testing best practices for high-wind design
• View lab-tested examples and learn how to select components for high-wind project sites
• Q&A

Questions can be submitted beforehand in the comments window when registering or in the chat during the live webinar. Ryan Kennedy, editor at pv magazine USA, will moderate this webinar.

Registration for this pv magazine Webinar is free of charge.

Speakers

Scott Van Pelt | Chief Engineer, GameChange Solar

Scott oversees the customer facing engineering team at GameChange Solar. In this role, he is responsible for the execution, accuracy, and timeliness of all of GameChange Solar’s technical deliverables. He is a Professional Engineer licensed in a dozen states and functions as the Structural Engineer of Record for many of the company’s projects. With almost a decade of experience in the renewable energy space, Scott has served as a voting member of the U.S. National Committee for the IEC Renewable Energy System and currently serves on U.S. Technical Committee 82 regarding Solar Photovoltaic Energy Systems.

Cherif Kedir | President and CEO, Renewable Energy Test Center

Cherif is the CEO and president of RETC, an independent testing laboratory specializing in solar photovoltaic (PV), power electronics and battery energy storage system (BESS) products. A 15-year solar industry veteran, Cherif is a go-to expert on bankability and certification testing, product development and engineering, yield and performance enhancement, test site development, and product reliability and durability. Before RETC, Cherif worked on product engineering, testing, and failure analysis in the semiconductor industry.

David Banks | President, CPP Wind Engineering

Dr. David Banks has been with CPP wind engineering since 2000 and has been president since 2020. He developed and continues to lead CPP’s Solar Services sector as a globally recognized authority on solar wind loads. He is a member of ASCE committees for the Computational Wind Engineering pre-standard, the ASCE 49 Wind Tunnel Testing standard, the ASCE Solar Manual of Practice, and the ASCE-7 wind loading subcommittee.

Moderators

Ryan Kennedy | Editor, pv magazine USA