Which material should be used for photovoltaic (PV) support structures?

When it comes to selecting the material for photovoltaic (PV) support structures, it generally adopts Q235B steel and aluminum alloy extrusion profile AL6005-T5. Each material has its advantages and considerations, and the choice depends on various factors. Let’s compare steel and aluminum for PV support structures:

How do I choose a steel or aluminum PV support structure?

Ultimately, the selection of steel or aluminum for PV support structures depends on project-specific factors such as the size of the installation, load requirements, budget, site conditions (e.g., wind and snow loads, corrosive environments), and sustainability goals.

Are ground mounting steel frames suitable for PV solar power plant projects?

In the photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant projects, PV solar panel (SP) support structure is one of the main elements and limited numerical studies exist on PVSP ground mounting steel frames to be a research gap that has not be addressed adequately in the literature.

What type of steel is used in PVSP steel frame design?

quality in the design of PVSP steel frame. C-channel size of 125x62.5x25x4mm profiles made of galvanized considered, respectively. S235JR used in pu rlin and brace s ections. For the rails, S235JR type of steel material w ith a private prod ucing shape was selected.

Can a solar array support structure withstand a wind load?

Even fixed solar array support structures have sofisticated design, that needs to be analyzed and often improved in order to withstand the wind load. The same applies of course to adjustable designs to an even greater extend. The analysis has to be carried out for many wind directions.

What are the advantages of solar panels?

This system has the advantage that light beams are all day long normal to the surface of the panels. The fact that these structures have to support a large area of solar panels (in both structures the area is about 50m2), makes them vulnerable to wind action.