Objective The paper aims to establish a feasible and rational approach for determining wind load coefficients in the design of ground-mounted fixed photovoltaic (PV) support systems, addressing the excessive conservatism observed when directly applying the ASCE 7-22 standard.
Method A representative PV project in the Philippines was selected as a case study. targeted wind tunnel tests were conducted to obtain site-specific wind pressure distributions, and the experimental results were systematically compared with those calculated using the ASCE 7-22 provisions.
Result The comparison shows that the wind load coefficients prescribed by ASCE 7-22 significantly overestimated actual wind loads, leading to unnecessary structural redundancy, whereas the coefficients derived from wind tunnel testing provides a more accurate and economical basis for engineering design.
Conclusion This work demonstrates that wind tunnel testing is an effective means to validate and refine code-based wind load assumptions for specific PV configurations and environmental conditions, offering practical guidance for optimizing structural design and reducing costs in overseas PV projects.
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