Analytical framework for structural failure analysis of solar panels subjected to wind loads

Abstract

Introduction: The structural integrity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is increasingly threatened by wind-induced failures, with recent extreme weather events exposing the limitations of existing design practices. Although computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element methods (FEMs) are widely employed to simulate wind–structure interaction, their reliance on heavy computation and their limited physical transparency restrict their use as general-purpose design tools.

Materials and methods: This study develops a closed-form analytical framework for the failure analysis of cantilever-mounted solar panels subjected to wind loading. Beginning with a reduced-order mechanical model that captures mast flexibility, panel geometry, and inclination, the framework is developed in three progressively more sophisticated stages: a pseudo-static stress analysis, a static divergence analysis, and a simplified dynamic flutter analysis. Attached flow flat-plate aerodynamics and small-deformation linear elastic structural mechanics underpin all three stages, and a lognormal capacity model is used to derive closed-form fragility functions.