Arctech unveils world’s 1st solar PV company-owned wind tunnel lab

Arctech, a leading supplier and provider of intelligent solar trackers, has announced that it has successfully inaugurated its wind tunnel laboratory at the Headquarters located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China.

The company has become one of the first in the PV industry to own a wind tunnel laboratory.

The lab, which has world-leading testing capabilities in static structural pressure and structural dynamic response, can evaluate the effect of wind on trackers at speeds of up to 30 meters per second, which is fast enough to cover most instances.

The technical database will be used to offer fundamental design parameters for product design, R&D, and product structure design verification. This will enable the firm to replicate diverse local circumstances worldwide by using the technical database for concept design and product structure design to lower PV power plants' LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) by enhancing tracker stability.

Bruce Wang, CTO of Arctech, said that they believe the opening of the Wind Tunnel Laboratory will further strengthen their firm’s position in dropping the LCOE of PV power plants by allowing them to conduct practicable wind tunnel tests for correct aerodynamic information and improve the design for lowering wind-related risk on equipping trackers with improved wind resistance capability.

Solar trackers are typically considered complex structural elements; however, their primary axis is subject to deformation due to vertical bending, torsion, and complicated natural circumstances in various areas.

As a result, more complex analytic evaluations are required for reliable tracker design, as installing ultra-high-power modules, which are in great demand, adds larger wind loads to the trackers.

Arctech has always centralized the wind tunnel test by establishing stringent design specs. The new laboratory is another step forward in the company's commitment to ensuring safety and stability and ultimately enabling the widespread use of solar trackers.

Source Credit - https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/arctech-launches-world-s-first-pv-company-owned-wind-tunnel-laboratory-to-smartly-increase-the-stability-of-trackers-841921912.html