Windbreak walls for solar farms

Iasol has developed a new way to protect solar plants in windy conditions. The Spanish developer said the solution barely has an impact on project costs or output, while preventing expensive damages.

Image: Iasol

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From pv magazine Spain.

Single-axis trackers with two panels in vertical configurations are the most common designs for large-scale PV plants. However, such installations are particularly vulnerable to strong gusts of wind, which could have a negative impact on tracker structures.

Iasol has designed a technical solution to reduce the risk associated with heavy wind. The Spanish PV developer claims that the solution has a minimal impact on total installation costs. And it has already tested the solution at the 12.5 MW El Marqués solar plant in Spain.

The solution consists of a wall made of a high-density polyethylene mesh. Prior to the installation of the windbreak wall, researchers analyzed wind velocity by using computational fluid dynamics. 

Iasol now plans to replicate the windbreak solution study in two PV projects it is going to build this year. It has installed more than 170 MW of capacity over the past 15 years, with 40 facilities in operation.

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