CPP contributes to SEAOC’s new publication “Wind Design for Solar Arrays”

The Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) has announced the revision of their industry-leading publication about wind loads on solar racking systems.

SEAOC is respected as an authoritative world leader in the practice of structural and earthquake engineering. The organization’s 3,500 members commit to improving the safety and resilience of the built environment.

Announced in early November, SEAOC’s new report updates their 2012 report, which formed the basis for new design provisions in ASCE 7‑16. The update provides new information related to rooftop low-profile arrays, rooftop flush-mounted arrays, wind tunnel testing of solar arrays, and wind dynamic effects on ground-mounted solar arrays.

CPP’s solar clients will find the report of interest. For rooftop low-profile arrays, examples of new information include an interior roof zone for large roof sizes, ability to consider building corners independently according to wind vortex conditions, optional refinements for array edge factors, and more flexibility for proportioning gaps between solar modules.

CPP Principals Dr. David Banks and Yarrow Fewless both contributed to the 2017 update, with Dr. Banks being the principal author. Free for SEAOC members and $20 for non-members, the publication can be downloaded here.

Learn more about SEAOC and this publication here.