Computational study of reducing wind loads on solar-power plants using windbreaks

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are widely used for power generation in open areas. Extreme wind conditions affect both the safety of their supporting structure and the productivity of the modules through particle deposits. To maintain the sustainability of such PV systems, windbreaks are introduced and computationally evaluated as a potential cost-effective passive protection. A case study in the Western Desert of Egypt was used to test the validity of the proposed numerical model under normal and 50-year extreme wind conditions. For the range of the studied velocities (10–35 m/s), windbreaks were very efficient in protecting the panels. Wind loads were reduced by almost 100% in the vicinity of the windbreak, and windbreaks partially protected the panels up to d/H = 70 distance, where d is the distance between the panel and the windbreak and H represents the windbreak height. Low porosity (φ = 10%) windbreaks provided better protection for the panels. The effect of the windbreak height (H) relative to the panel’s height (E) has a remarkable impact on the values of force coefficients, with H/E = 1.5 giving the best performance. An estimated reduction of 1% of the plant capital cost (CAPEX) can be achieved by using windbreaks due to the supporting structure’s material cost savings.