Abstract
Photovoltaic power generation (PV) for commercial use is installed in the building roof of communal facilities and industrial facilities, and remarkable growth in the future is foreseen. PV panels and mounting racks are affected by loads of wind and earthquake etc, so it is important to the strength design that considers reliability. In this study, we were particularly focused on PV panel mounting racks (PV rack) for flat roof, and obtained wind loads to PV racks for flat roof from wind tunnel tests with scale model. We also quantified the reduction in strength of the fastening part by screws from bending tests of steel. In addition, we studied structural design optimization for PV racks for flat roof, as a result, a new structure of rack for flat roof was obtained for achieving high reliability and low cost.
