Researchers at Cornell University have shown that tracking solar panels in agrivoltaic systems can protect crops from wind damage while allowing airflow, outperforming traditional single-row windbreaks. They also proposed a new lowered front row panel design that improves wind protection, achieving up to 86% lower wind speeds in the sheltered zones under extreme conditions.
Researchers from Cornell University in the United States have used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to evaluate how different agrivoltaic designs protect crops from wind damage, comparing conventional tracking solar panels to a natural windbreak of trees.
“Air flow under solar panels is an important consideration for agrivoltaic systems. If conditions are too windy, crops can be damaged; if it is too calm, crops risk mold,” said corresponding author Max Zhang. pv magazine. “We quantified the wind speed under solar panels in different configurations and compared them to traditional agricultural windbreaks. The results help identify strategies to achieve optimal airflow under solar panels in agrivoltaic systems.”
The team explained that by adjusting panel tilt in horizontal single-axis tracking (HSAT) systems, agrivoltaic setups can block damaging winds or allow airflow for aeration, depending on crop needs and weather conditions.
The CFD model uses Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations in ANSYS Fluent engineering software to simulate airflow around solar panels. Panels were modeled explicitly, while scaffolding structures and openings were simplified. The simulation domain was divided into three zones, allowing refined meshing near the panels and coarser grids elsewhere. A study of grid independence ensured accuracy without excessive computational costs.
The researchers also modeled a natural windbreak of trees as a homogeneous porous medium in ANSYS Fluent, using a momentum sink to capture flow resistance, mainly due to inertial effects. Inlet wind speeds ranging from 5–35 m/s were simulated to represent different levels of crop and soil damage, allowing direct comparison with agrivoltaic windbreaks. The agrivoltaic scenarios include HSAT panels with tilt angles from 0° to 90°, as well as a new design with the lowered first row (LFR) at 60° to improve airflow over downstream panels.
Both types of windbreaks were simulated with identical boundary conditions to ensure a fair comparison of wind reduction performance. The length of the 20-row agrivoltaic system reflects typical windbreak spacing between trees, providing maximum wind protection while reflecting realistic agricultural design constraints.
“The simulations revealed three wind zones under the solar panels,” said Zhang. “First, wind speeds increase under the front rows of panels. Then, in the sheltered zone, wind speeds slow, providing protection. Finally, downwind, wind speeds gradually recover to original levels. In very windy conditions, solar panels reduced wind speeds by as much as 70% in the sheltered zone, compared to virtually no protection provided by a single row of trees, which represents a conventional windbreak.”
“Our research highlights the benefits of solar panel tracking, which track the sun all day long,” Zhang added. “Compared to a stationary windshield, tracking panels can be oriented to provide protection in windy conditions while allowing airflow during calm periods. The new lowered front row design provides an aerodynamic solution to the acceleration zone found in other agrivoltaic scenarios, achieving up to 86% protection in the sheltered zone under extreme wind conditions.”
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