Effect of wind load directions on floating photovoltaic arrays

Floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems represent a suitable green alternative to capture solar energy, especially where land space is scarce for land-based solar plants. Like land-based solar systems, FPV systems are predominantly subjected to wind. In this study, the effect of wind flow on floating solar panels has been studied numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis in ANSYS fluent. The drag and lift coefficients were estimated on the FPV array for different wind directions. The geometry and boundary conditions for the model were adopted from the existing literature. The simulations are performed with an inlet wind speed of 35.9 m/s, replicating site conditions while the outlet pressure is set to atmospheric levels. The results show that the wind directions 0° and 180° showed higher drag and lift forces than the others. The gap between the panels and the bottom of the boundary was found to have a significant impact on force variations along the array of panels.