TY  - EJOU
AU  - Shen, Yu 
AU  - Liu, Yi 
AU  - Zhang, Hanchen 
AU  - Li, uyang 
AU  - Pan, Kaiming 
AU  - Fang, Qinghe 

TI  - Numerical Investigation of the Characteristics of Wind Loads on Offshore Photovoltaic (PV) Panels over Uneven Bottom Boundary
T2  - Structural Durability \& Health Monitoring

PY  - 2026
VL  - 20
IS  - 2
SN  - 1930-2991

AB  - This study presents a systematic numerical analysis of wind loads on offshore photovoltaic (PV) panels. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, incorporating a free-surface wave boundary condition, is developed and validated against experimental data. Parametric investigations quantify the effects of wind speed, panel tilt angle, clearance, and wave characteristics on the aerodynamic coefficients (drag, lift, and moment). Results indicate that all force coefficients increase with wind speed, with the lift coefficient being most sensitive to wave action. While a larger tilt angle intensifies airflow disturbance and amplifies the coefficients, this effect is more pronounced over flat ground than above a wavy surface. As clearance increases, the drag coefficient fluctuates before rising, the lift coefficient exhibits a trough-shaped response, and the moment coefficient increases monotonically, with values consistently higher over waves. Furthermore, the aerodynamic coefficients generally decrease with greater wave height. The maximum wind load occurs directly above the wave trough, and the aerodynamic force coefficient varies non-monotonically with wave position, first decreasing and then increasing. These findings offer practical guidance for the structural design and safety assurance of offshore PV systems.
KW  - Offshore PV; numerical modelling; wind load characteristics; pressure coefficient; aerodynamic forces

DO  - 10.32604/sdhm.2025.072871