RWDI and Soltec develop wind load analysis method for solar trackers

Image: sectional model of the SF7 in the RWDI wind tunnel.
Soltec introduces Dy-WIND, an innovative method for comprehensive dynamic wind analysis in tracker design

The reason why Soltec has decided to undertake this project is that several studies have shown that the current wind load design standards applied to solar trackers are insufficient to prevent them from being affected by strong gusts, as they do not take into account the second order forces produced by wind action.

"Soltec is the only solar tracker manufacturer to apply the Dy-WIND analysis to the design of solar trackers," says Soltec CEO Raúl Morales. "This is essential when making economic calculations for the profitability and durability of a solar plant.

To develop Dy-WIND, Soltec has teamed up with renowned engineering consultancy Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc (RWDI). Matthew T. L. Browne, technical director at RWDI, says that "the hybrid experimental-numerical approach developed through working with Soltec has resulted in an innovative methodology that accurately estimates tracker behaviour under wind action in multi-row installations and provides a flexibility in the design process not achieved with traditional aeroelastic model testing".

In addition to expertise, RWDI has wind tunnels that use stereolithography technology, integrated data acquisition, storage and processing systems, computer-aided drafting and a broad base of specialised instrumentation. Some of the most notable projects in which the firm has participated include the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai and the Strait of Messina bridge in Italy.