Numerical simulation of wind effects on a stand-alone ground mounted photovoltaic (PV) system

3D Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations using an unsteady solver with steady inlet conditions are carried out to investigate the wind load and flow field around a ground mounted stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) system with 25° panel tilt angle immersed in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) using the shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence closure. Wind directions of the incoming flow are varied from 0° to 180° at 45° intervals. Mean pressure coefficients on the surfaces of the PV panel are compared with the wind tunnel measurement by Abiola-Ogedengbe (2013) and an agreement within 46% is found. Coefficients of drag, lift and overturning moment for the PV system are computed from the numerical simulations. In terms of maximum uplift, 180° is found to be the critical wind direction whereas in terms of overturning moments, 45° and 135° are the critical wind directions. The wind velocity and vorticity fields around the panel are correlated and analyzed with respect to the pressure distribution on the panel surfaces.