Aerodynamic mechanisms for wind loads on tilted, roof-mounted, solar arrays

► A wind tunnel study has been performed on roof-mounted solar arrays. ► It is shown that there are two main mechanisms for the aerodynamic loads. ► For low tilt angles, pressure equalization dominates. ► For higher tilt angles, increased array generated turbulence increases the loads. ► The building alters the aerodynamics substantially compared to ground-mount arrays.