Building Envelope: wind tunnel testing of PV strings

As a part of Giacomo Scrinzi’s PhD research which deals with the performance control of metal roofing/cladding systems, the topical issue of PV systems integration on large buildings roof is being assessed in detail. In this regard, a set of tests will be performed at Politecnico di Milano wind tunnel to investigate the pressure distribution across roof-attached, tilted solar panels strings by using a 1:10 scale mock-up provided with variable-geometry components to investigate the influence of different geometric parameters like rows spacing, bottom clearance, tilt angle, wind direction, lateral distance from building edges. The aim is defining actual design wind load values for such case and also identifying the best solar plant layout and configuration to comply with productivity needs and cladding structural safety.

Source: PoliMi