Analysis of impact of wind on photovoltaic panels

Abstract

The aim of the paper was to perform computer analysis of the influence of turbulent flow k- on photovoltaic arrays in two different types of extreme conditions. The first analysis was based on the assumption that the flow goes from the front to the rear plane, while in the second one, the opposite underlying assumption was used. In light of the rapidly developing energy sector, marked by the prevalence of solar power plants and changes in wind turbulence, both planned and in-progress technological projects need a thorough simulation and analysis. The information obtained expands our knowledge on the impact of wind on solar power systems and makes it possible for us to proceed to further stages of work and optimise the solutions implemented. Both analyses were performed in the Comsol Multiphysics application, which is a modelling and numerical platform software dedicated for this type of solutions. Moreover, a 3D model of PV panels was examined in CAD environment, with the use of Autocad. Research clearly shows that the biggest impact of wind on PV modules is observed, when the wind blows from the rear plane towards the front plane. The immediate cause of the above is the declination of the panels with respect to the Earth's surface, which, in the present analysis, was 30º. When the declination is decreasing, both yields and the impact of the wind on the surface of the modules are decreasing too and the cover of subsequent rows of the installation is reduced. Our results confirm the need to apply the recommended angles of solar panels. Therefore, it is particularly important that additional analysis (analysis of turbulent wind flow and stop-wind projects) should be performed while developing photovoltaic farms. To minimise the effect of the wind, future studies should focus mainly on the improvement of positioning the modules, their height and spread as well as the right choice of the place.