Wind load analysis for rooftop solar photovoltaic panels in the presence of building interference: A wind tunnel study

The interference effect of a tall building on wind loads of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) arrays was studied. Effects of the building spacing ratio S and building arrangement were studied. The interfering building amplified the largest most critical negative peak module force coefficient Cˇ_fm among all wind directions and modules regardless of S and building arrangements. The most significant influence on the largest most critical interfering factor IF (=3.31) occurred for the tandem arrangement in the upstream direction with S = 1.5. The interfering building significantly reduced the negative peak pressure coefficient on upper surface contributed to the large IF. Panel zoning was studied using the k-means algorithm based on wind loads on PV arrays. The panel zoning was much affected by S and building arrangements, especially for the zone including modules at the roof center. The critical S of the panel zoning were 1.5, 4.0, and 8.0. The largest most critical Cˇ_fm on modules in various zones decreased linearly with S. The regression analysis of the largest most critical Cˇ_fm with S was conducted. The fitted equations and scheme of panel zoning provided recommended design loads on rooftop PV arrays interfered by the neighboring building.