Numerical investigation of impact of various wind loads on the structural stability and strength of solar panel supporting structure

Nowadays, the uses of renewable energy resources are growing rapidly. Several renewable resources such as hydro, wind, solar and tidal are commonly used all over the world. Following this trend, the implementation of large area solar arrays is considered to be necessary. Several design methodologies and approaches have been accessible in order to obtain maximum efficiency of solar panel supporting structure. In this study, Finite Element Method (FEM) was established to investigate the impact of various wind loads on the structural reliability and strength of solar panel supporting structures. The wind speeds of 20 m/s, 25 m/s, 30 m/s, 35 m/s and 40 m/s were used for the analysis of solar panel supporting structure. Wind loads were also calculated by mathematical approach. The results show that solar panel structure was significantly affected by wind loads applied on the surface of solar PV module. The results obtained from the FEM analysis that total deformation and maximum equivalent stresses were increased by increasing the wind loads. The maximum value of equivalent stress can be found at joint sections of solar panel supporting structure and total deformation is higher at centre of the structure as well as at base of the structure. The maximum and minimum value of equivalent stress 62.866 Mpa and 15.75 Mpa can be found at 40 m/s and 20 m/s respectively. Similarly, maximum and minimum value of total deformation 0.3631 mm and 0.0911 mm can be found at 40 m/s and 20 m/s respectively. The knowledge of stress distribution and deformation play a vital role for structure designs, stability and strength of hydro solar panel supporting structure