Eliminating catastrophic PV tracker system damage due to extreme wind conditions
Although PV power plants are key to mitigating the impact of climate change via the shift to renewable energy generation, the increase in intensity of weather events also creates major risks, not least in the ability of single-axis PV tracker systems to withstand more frequent, extended and stronger wind conditions.
Preventing catastrophic failures is a key priority, yet PV system performance over the lifetime of a PV power plant can be compromised by higher maintenance costs due to unscheduled component failures. Another factor is higher than expected solar panel performance degradation caused by solar cell micro-cracks, due to dynamic wind loading forces.
PV Tech hosted a TechTalk Product Series webinar with Soltec and RWDI to provide further insight into the design requirements of utility-scale PV power plants deploying tracker systems in the new-era of large-area utility-scale PV panels and the impact on systems experiencing high-wind loads.