White Paper: Best Practices for Full-Scale Wind Loads Measurement on Solar Racking
Read the below white paper to learn about what it actually takes to produce trustworthy full-scale wind load data for PV racking, including:
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White Paper: The Accuracy of Eurocode Monopitch Canopy Roof Coefficients for Ground Mounted Fixed-tilt Solar PV Structures
Read the below white paper to learn about the advantages of implementing a wind tunnel study for ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar PV structures.
CPP Wind Canada: 5 Years and Growing Strong!
This past December, the CPP Wind Canada team came together to celebrate an exciting milestone; five years of innovation, collaboration, and success. Since launching the Canadian office in 2020 under the leadership of Dr. Jon Galsworthy, the team has grown from a bold idea into a thriving hub of wind engineering expertise that serves architects,…
Multisector Analysis: Advanced Wind Engineering for Solar Trackers
Unlock Major Structural Savings with Site-Specific Wind Engineering. Too many solar projects are conservatively designed based on broad ASCE wind maps. Learn about the impact — up to 50% reduction in steel, lower lower foundation and embedment requirements, and fully ASCE 7–compliant. If you’re aiming to reduce CAPEX without compromising safety, these studies should be…
Solar Ground Mount Aeroelastic Instability Limitations and Recommendations
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Solar Ground Mount Wind Tunnel Study Limitations and Recommendations
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Article Reprint: Where Wind Science Meets Renewable Energy Development
When the first solar farms began dotting the landscape, wind was often an afterthought. But CPP saw something others didn’t: the invisible wind forces shaping the future of renewable energy. Today, as the contribution of solar power to global energy demand rapidly grows, tracker systems become more complex, and climate patterns shift, the stakes have…
CPP Wind Announces Acquisition of Optiflow
Optiflow, located in Marseille France, is a leading specialty computational fluid dynamics (CFD) firm consulting with designers, engineers, and urban planners. The team at Optiflow is well-versed in projects ranging from industrial and tall buildings to arenas and urban spaces. This acquisition will expand CPP’s existing CFD capabilities and presence in the European market and give the Optiflow engineering team access to valuable wind tunnel testing resources and the opportunity to better serve customers globally together with colleagues across CPP.
Quay Quarter Tower Transformed
Wind engineering, including wind tunnel studies, is conducted most commonly during the design phase of a project. As repurposing, adaptation, and extension of existing buildings are adopted more to meet sustainability goals, wind engineering can play a larger role during construction by demonstrating performance targets are being achieved, while safety and reliability requirements are met. Quay Quarter Tower (QQT) in Sydney, Australia, is a notable example of this and serves as a model of successful integration of structural engineering, wind engineering, and construction practices.
Site Specific Services for Solar
Wind and weather-related risks impact the reliability and cost of solar farms. Optimize your solar investment with a site-specific study. Read this infosheet for more details.
Mitigating Odors and Emissions in Your Healthcare Facility is Good Medicine—For Everyone
When it comes to the world of healthcare, the term “exhausted” is generally regarded as a bad thing. In fact, the word is frequently associated with long hours, limited supplies, and few options—none of which are particularly positive. However, when it comes to healthcare facilities, exhaustion (especially the effective dispersion of those exhausts) is actually a good thing as it relates to environmental air quality, patient health, and operational excellence.
Unfortunately, plume dispersion associated with architectural aerodynamics is often the most overlooked and/or marginalized of considerations in the design and construction of healthcare facilities…right up to the moment when there is an issue.
CPP Wind Announces Partnership with Tuckerman Capital
CPP Wind Engineering Consultants, an internationally recognized leader in wind engineering services, is excited to announce their partnership with Tuckerman Capital.
“We at CPP are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Tuckerman Capital. This strategic investment marks a significant milestone in CPP’s journey, opening doors to unparalleled growth opportunities and innovation. With Tuckerman’s additional support, we are confident that CPP will reach new heights in delivering exceptional insight and value to our customers and stakeholders,” stated Oliver Napp, CPP CEO.
The Effect of Topography on Wind Loads on Solar PV Structures
Topography significantly affects how wind interacts with solar photovoltaic (PV) structures. While flat terrain installations have their own sets of challenges and best practices, installations in topographically “interesting” terrain introduce unique difficulties. Let’s delve into two primary factors affected by topography: wind speed-up and loss of shelter, and how they influence wind loads on solar…
Benefits of Measuring Wind Loads on an Aeroelastic Model
Aeroelastic load measurements for solar trackers. Historically, tests of miniature rigid models in atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnels have been performed to estimate wind loading on single-axis tracker systems. However, some solar trackers are extremely flexible structures that twist and bend in the wind. Even if the tracker has locking mechanisms or multiple drives, there…
CPP Wind Engineering Consultants US Office
For more than 40 years, CPP Wind has been providing industry-leading consulting services to architects, engineers, and developers worldwide. Take a peek inside our US boundary layer wind-tunnel laboratory.
CPP Expands Global Services with a Wind Tunnel Facility in Kuala Lumpur
CPP Wind Engineering Consultants, an internationally recognized leader in wind engineering services, announces the expansion of its global services to Southeast Asia with the acquisition of the Venturi Asia wind tunnel facility assets. CPP will operate Southeast Asia’s first commercial wind tunnel testing facility dedicated to the built environment. This acquisition of assets adds a…
Ensure the Success of Your Solar Tracker with Anemometer Siting
On-site anemometers play a crucial role in solar tracker operation by triggering the trackers to move to their wind stow position as winds ramp up from an approaching storm. Anemometer placement is a critical consideration. Poorly sited anemometers could trigger stow too slowly or too often. Additionally, if a failure occurs, it is helpful to…
CPP Wind’s Australian Office Celebrates 15 Years with a Look at the Early Years
Founded in 2007, CPP Sydney, Australia, was the first office outside of the U.S. for CPP Wind. With a state-of-the-art wind tunnel and laboratory, and some of the most innovative experts in their field, the Sydney operation has played a leading role in transforming Australia’s city skylines and establishing a commanding presence in Southeast Asia.…
Accurate Geometry is the First Step in Wind Tunnel Testing Solar Trackers
Horizontal single-axis trackers (HSATs) are susceptible to wind-induced damages, and wind loading on these solar trackers is one of the primary considerations in their design. The best way to understand these wind loads is to perform a scaled-model wind tunnel test of a small array of trackers (typically 1:30 or 1:50 scale). Wind tunnel testing…
CPP Wind Engineering Consultants Sydney Office
2022 marked 15 years since we first opened the doors to our Sydney office! Take a quick peek inside to see the team’s work on a typical day.
Aeroelastic Instability Testing of a Solar Tracker System
Watch the aeroelastic instability testing of a scaled model of a solar tracking system in CPP Wind’s boundary layer wind tunnel. By partnering with CPP Wind, you will gain an understanding of wind loads and discover strategies to save money and reduce the risk of instability.
So, what exactly IS wind anyway?
We all understand what wind is—at least experientially—from an early age. It’s as much a part of the human experience as sunshine, rain, and snow. But what exactly is wind? What causes it? Merriam Webster defines wind as “a natural movement of air of any velocity.” Wind is, then, simply the movement of air from…
Why worry about the instability of your solar tracking system?
Wind damage to solar tracking systems has appeared on various online forums and social media in recent years. These videos or pictures illustrate the catastrophic failures of multiple trackers over a site. The observed failures often happen in wind speeds well below the site design wind speeds. CPP Wind’s experience, most of these failures are…
Valerie Sifton Joins CPP Wind to Lead Climate Insights Team
CPP Welcomes Valerie Sifton to Lead the Weather and Climate Insights Team We are pleased to welcome Valerie Sifton to lead the Weather and Climate Insights Team at CPP Wind. With over 20 years of experience in Wind Engineering and climate analytics, Valerie has spent more than half that time leading a multi-disciplinary team developing…
CPP Wind – Pioneers in Wind Engineering
For 40 years CPP Wind has been leading the way in wind engineering. With the most technically advanced and innovative wind tunnels, we continue to lead the wind engineering industry and serve our global clients.
Development and Implementation of New Building Downwash Options in AERMOD
A discussion of AERMOD’s capabilities to model the complex air flows around buildings. This article appears in the April 2021 issue of EM Magazine, a copyrighted publication of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA; www.awma.org). The National Environmental Policy Act of 1 969 committed the United States to sustainability, declaring it a national policy “to…
Dr. Jon Galsworthy Joins CPP Wind to Lead Expansion of Canadian Office
CPP Welcomes Wind Expert Dr. Galsworthy to Canadian office We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jon Galsworthy to our team of global representatives. Jon brings his 20+ years of experience at the highest levels, literally and figuratively, to CPP’s Canadian office where he now serves as our Managing Director. In addition to his many years…
Dr. David Banks, PhD, P.Eng, becomes president of CPP Wind Engineering Inc.
After operating without a president since founder Dr. Jon Peterka’s retirement in 2013, CPP, through its Board of Directors, has unanimously chosen Dr. David Banks to fill the role. Banks brings strong on-the-job experience and academic credentials to the position. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Toronto.…
CPP advances industry with leading role in PBWD publication
Now-available prestandard promotes performance-based wind design While performance-based design (PBD) is rapidly growing in acceptance in the seismic field, no guidance has, until now, been available for application within the field of wind engineering. Many believe that if a building is designed using the provisions of the building code, it will survive all wind events…
CPP featured in Ansys Advantage
Issue 1, 2019 of Ansys Advantage Magazine features a terrific article, “Catching the Sun,” which looks at how engineers use simulation and wind tunnel testing to avoid damage to solar trackers for solar energy. Summary: By rotating solar panels to follow the sun across the sky, solar trackers can generate more power. These solar power…
Venukumar Balla to lead CPP growth initiative in India
CPP is pleased to welcome Venukumar Balla to our team of global representatives. In response to strong growth forecasts, we have expanded into India with the assignment of Venukumar Balla as new Country Head. Based in our India office, Mr. Balla is responsible for the Indian region business operations and will serve as the primary…
CPP’s Dr. David Banks on the effects of wind on solar panels
In February of 2015, CPP Principal Dr. David Banks, P.E., an expert on how solar panels behave in the wind, co-hosted a webinar with Ron LaPlante, S.E., chair of the Solar Photovoltaic Systems Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC). Wind Design for Solar Photovoltaic Arrays highlighted the challenges and recommended solutions for designing…
Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones
What’s the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon? What is a cyclone? How about a tropical storm? Well, there are really just two things you need to know. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones all refer to the same weather phenomenon: cyclonic (rotating) oceanic storms that develop in the tropics. Differences in naming are…
Wind loads on roof-mounted solar panels
If it seems like solar modules are popping up everywhere, you’re right. In 2006, a new solar energy system was installed, on average, every 80 minutes in the US, and by 2013, installers were building a new system every four minutes. And the installations haven’t slowed down. In 2016, the US reached 1 million installations,…
ULA partners with CPP Wind Consultants for safe rocket launches
The idea of wind tunnel testing for space launch vehicles might bring to mind a rocket roaring through the atmosphere as it propels its payload into Earth’s orbit or beyond. The wind tunnel testing we are referring to, known as atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel testing, simulates the effect of the wind on the vehicle…
CPP’s Dr. Petersen and Dr. Guerra address flaws in building downwash program
CPP advances its reputation as an essential voice and leader in the wind engineering and environmental industries. The paper PRIME2: Development and evaluation of improved building downwash algorithms for rectangular and streamlined structures, written by CPP’s Dr. Ron Petersen and Dr. Sergio Guerra, is now published in Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics. The…
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…
CPP Explains the Pitfalls in AERMOD’S Building Downwash
Since the mid-90s, the US EPA has recommended the AERMOD atmospheric dispersion modeling system for estimating the impact of new or existing sources of pollution on ambient air quality. But AERMOD is far from perfect, and recent CPP studies have revealed key shortcomings, documented in the August issue of the Journal of Air and Waste…
It’s All Relative: How Time, Distance, and Wind Speed Relate in the Wind Tunnel
By Yarrow Fewless, Principal, CPP Wind Engineering Time, distance, and wind speed are intrinsically linked in the wind tunnel, as they are in the real world. So how can you relate a building tested at a scale of 1:300 in the wind tunnel to the real-world building? The answer is that the relationship of distance…
Wind on Solar Arrays: When “By-the-Book” Doesn’t Apply
As most people familiar with the details of the solar industry know, the cost of the installation is directly influenced by the design wind speed. The design wind speed, for those unfamiliar, is the highest wind speed experienced in a given region, based on historical meteorological data, which anything built in that region must be…
CPP Improves Method for Predicting Exhaust Concentration
Good exhaust/intake system design ensures exhaust does not reenter the building that produced it. CPP engineers conducted a study for ASHRAE to improve the method which calculates the minimum distance between exhaust stacks and intakes to ensure good air quality for building occupants. This new method uses the knowledge provided in Chapter 45 of the…
Is your neighborhood safe from spooky emissions?
If your neighbor is a mortuary (or any other production facility with a smoke stack for that matter), let’s hope they’ve consulted CPP to ensure you’re safe from spooky emissions! And the Halloween season is the perfect time to do so. Whether its pollutants emitted from a crematory incinerator, an industrial boiler, or emergency engine,…
Building in miniature
When guests visit CPP’s facilities for client updates or tours, our small-scale wind tunnel models are usually major highlights. From structural engineers responsible for a single part to urban planners overseeing an entire city plan, everyone seems to enjoy seeing their work in miniature. And while these scale models may look like playthings, they’re actually sophisticated pieces…
CPP Named a Colorado Companies to Watch Winner
CPP Wind Engineering & Air Quality Consultants has been named a Colorado Companies to Watch, acknowledging the success, innovation, and influence of CPP as a growing company in the state. Chosen from over 1,000 nominations, the 50 winning companies represent a broad range of industries and are recognized for their success and potential for growth,…
What does the wind speed increase in ASCE 7-10 mean for design loads?
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) publishes Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-10), which describes wind load design methods and is the basis for most building codes in the United States. ASCE 7-10 includes wind speed maps for locations throughout the country. Engineers who were previously…
CPP featured in Engineers Australia
The February 2016 issue of Engineers Australia features a terrific article, “Winds of Change,” which provides an overview of wind engineering and a few of our projects, such as Platinum Park and Perth Stadium. Congratulations to Dr. Matt Glanville and our Sydney team for a wonderful feature. Our thanks to Engineers Australia for allowing us to make the…
The world’s windiest cities
It can get a little breezy in CPP’s hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado. With average wind speeds approaching 40 miles per hour (18 m/s) on some days, and gusts in excess of 45 (20 m/s), walking around town isn’t always a walk in the park (even when it’s a literal walk in the park). These…
Get to know a flow feature: Turbulence
Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelts sign. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. It’s one thing to hear this half an hour before your scheduled landing. It’s quite another to hear it smack in the middle of the flight. The former means the aircraft is about to…
Efficient laboratory design for occupant health
Laboratories are the modern cathedrals of science. Within their hallowed halls, researchers solve society’s problems and help ensure a safer, healthier, more sustainable tomorrow. But what about the researchers themselves? How do we ensure that the scientists, technicians, and lab managers who perform this vital work remain safe? Good laboratory design is simultaneously effective and…
Air quality is key contributor to employee productivity
Admit it, we all knew this intuitively. But now there’s hard research to back up the claim that employee productivity is linked to indoor air quality. In a recently published article titled (take a deep breath) “Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled…
3 Questions to Save Time & Money in Dispersion Modeling
Are you trying to demonstrate modeled compliance by increasing stack heights or installing additional emission control? If so, you are probably trying to overcome the flaws in AERMOD that result in predictions that may be 2 to 8 times higher than reality. Rather than finding solutions to overcome the flaws in the model or installing…
Get to know a flow feature: The stack effect
The stack effect is simultaneously one of the most useful and most problematic flow features in building design. Use it to your advantage, and the stack effect can enhance ventilation, improve exhaust dispersion, and make tall buildings more pleasant places to live and work. Ignore it, and you could end up with unusable doors, high…
An ill wind: The birth of a tornado
Tornadoes, despite their destructiveness, have a way of inspiring awe and fascination, perhaps in part because they are still shrouded in mystery. Scientists and engineers have been researching them for decades, but we’re still unsure exactly how they form. It’s clear that key ingredients are needed, but even when all are present, it doesn’t guarantee…
How physical modeling can save you money (and possibly your project, too)
Myriad federal, state, and local air quality regulations exist in the United States to keep our population healthy and our air clean. To comply with these regulations, owners and operators of the largest sources of pollution may need to apply for construction and operating permits from their state and local regulatory agencies. These air permits,…
Energy savings for new and existing labs
University research centers, hospitals and other laboratories all share a common challenge: the need to exhaust contaminants safely and efficiently. Such facilities rely on exhaust stacks to disperse pollutants high in the atmosphere, where air currents carry them safely away from sensitive locations near the ground. But a stack’s ability to effectively remove pollutants depends…
Introducing WindLab-Solar: A time-saving calculator for solar array wind loads
CPP is excited to announce the launch of our newest service for the solar industry, WindLab-Solar. With WindLab-Solar, your days of squinting at little black lines on wind load charts are over. No longer will you have to remember a multiplier for this and a reduction factor for that. WindLab-Solar does it all for you,…
How to get the air quality permit you need (and save money in the process)
Every hospital, power plant, lab and industrial facility built in the United States must comply with air quality regulations. This may also include compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, or NAAQS (pronounced “knacks”). The NAAQS became law with passage of the Clean Air Act of 1970 to protect outdoor air quality, and the…
Air quality regulations improve public health
We get it. Demonstrating compliance with air quality regulations can be frustrating. CPP’s permitting engineers help clients wade through laundry lists of air quality rules virtually every day. But a couple of stories that passed across our desks in the last couple of weeks remind us why these rules are there to begin with: to…
Is there such a thing as tornado-proof?
Recent outbreaks of tornadoes in Nebraska, Kansas, and elsewhere in the Midwest leave no doubt that tornado season is well underway. Tornadoes are common weather features in North America, and the United States leads the world in tornado counts, with an average of more than 1,000 recorded tornadic events each year. A tornado can develop…
Nursing home air quality and lung health
A recent study published in the European Respiratory Journal, the journal of the European Respiratory Society, demonstrates how poor indoor air quality can dramatically affect the respiratory health of elderly patients, the European Lung Foundation reports. The study, which was funded by the European Union as part of its GERIE program (Geriatric study in Europe…
Boston’s climate
With the recent opening of our Boston office, it’s time to take a look at the climate of this historic American city. Bostonians, Cantabrigians, and others who live along Massachusetts Bay enjoy four distinct seasons, although “enjoy” might not be the first term to come to mind after this season’s relentless series of winter storms.…
Wind profile characterization
In an earlier article on wind exposure, we highlighted the different upwind exposure categories defined in ASCE/SEI 7-10 (Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures). Exposure categories B, C, and D represent suburban and wooded areas; open, lightly vegetated terrain; and water, salt flats, and ice, respectively. Of course, reality rarely falls so neatly…
Dr. Ron Petersen receives ASHRAE Fellow Award
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has named CPP Principal and Vice President Dr. Ron Petersen as an ASHRAE Fellow. This honor recognizes Dr. Petersen’s more than 45 years of contributions to atmospheric dispersion modeling, air quality, and meteorology. CPP congratulates Dr. Petersen on this accomplishment. ASHRAE is one of the…
Reduce cladding costs and risks through wind tunnel testing
Most modern buildings are designed and constructed as a core skeleton to which an exterior envelope is attached. The standard document referenced by most building codes in the United States is Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, more commonly known as ASCE/SEI 7-10. Following the nomenclature of ASCE/SEI 7-10, the internal skeleton is…
CPP proud to support Engineers Without Borders USA
CPP is pleased to announce our partnership with Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA), a Colorado-based, internationally focused 501(c)3 organization committed to improving infrastructure in communities in need around the world: EWB-USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences that…
2014 breaks record for warmest year
Separate studies by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have demonstrated that 2014 was the warmest year on record since scientists began keeping records in 1880. According to the annual climate survey of the NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, A record warm December sealed the deal to make 2014 the warmest year…
Singapore’s wind climate
Given CPP’s work on such high-profile structures as Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands resort, and having opened our Singapore office, we thought it would be interesting to highlight the unique wind climate of this city-state of 5.4 million people. Singapore’s location in southeast Asia means that it is subject to the seasonal variations of the regional…
Welcome Isabelle Lavedrine, CPP’s West Coast Representative
CPP is proud to welcome Isabelle Lavedrine, our regional representative for business up and down the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. “The West Coast has been a center for innovative and sustainable development for many years. Since that’s our arena, it made a lot of sense for us to have someone in that…
Good Engineering Practice (GEP) Stack Height
CPP co-founder and air quality expert Dr. Ron Petersen has spent years helping permitting consultants understand that Good Engineering Practice (GEP) stack height offers more options than a single formula. The GEP stack height is greater than or equal to the height at which plume dispersion from the stack isn’t influenced by downwash. Downwash, in…
How are wind loads on cladding different from other kinds of wind loads?
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-10), published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) categorizes wind loads according to the parts of a building they affect: Main wind force resisting system (MWFRS) wind loads act on the frame and foundation of a building. These loads try…
Snow loading and drifting
Developers who build structures in snow-prone regions must consider winter weather in their designs. If the wind is calm, snow weighs down whatever it falls upon with a gravity load that increases as the snow accumulates. Wind complicates such forces by scouring snow away from some areas and depositing it in others. One need only…
What is the stack effect?
A frequently discussed phenomenon in air quality, natural ventilation, and smoke mitigation studies is the so-called stack effect. Sometimes called the chimney effect, the stack effect is a naturally-induced vertical flow of air through a structure. In low-rise structures, the effect is often small enough as to be negligible, but in high-rise towers, the stack…
How door operability problems work
The tallest building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, stands on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Cecil and Ida Green Building, a 21-story I. M. Pei design known informally as Building 54, features a prominent open breezeway beneath the first floor, giving observers the impression that the building rests on stilts. After Building…
Dynamic wind loads on solar panels
CPP’s wind engineers aren’t just pioneers in wind loading on solar panels, they’re also renowned leaders in dynamic wind forces on structures. Our wind experts are even responsible for the world’s first circular skyscraper. So it’s no surprise that CPP’s engineers are among the world’s most experienced leaders in dynamic wind loads on solar panels.…
Not All Wind Tunnels Are the Same
CPP’s Senior Principal John Carter explains the importance of boundary layer wind tunnels for testing wind effects on structures and presents how they differ from aeronautical wind tunnels.
Natural cooling strategies
Buildings traditionally rely on mechanical air conditioning to ensure occupant comfort and safety during hot weather. But such mechanical systems can sometimes be downsized or eliminated altogether when engineers and architects integrate the local climate into the design. Natural cooling depends on a systems approach, in which many aspects of building design work together to…
AERMOD Beyond the Box
How Better Inputs Can Give You Better Results Introduction AERMOD is known to calculate exhaust concentrations, in certain situations, that are less accurate and worse than they really are. Because AERMOD’s underlying equations were developed for solid rectangular buildings having certain sizes and shapes, the model can overestimate pollutant concentrations by a factor of 4…
Wind exposure
We all intuitively know that the wind affects things on the ground. But did you know that things on the ground also affect the wind? Highly developed environments tend to slow down the wind but increase gustiness, while open terrain lets wind flow faster, but with fewer gusts. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)…
What is wind speed?
It’s a simple question, right? In a thunderstorm, television weather reporters might speak about sustained winds of 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) with gusts as high as 100 (62 mph). And to coastal residents, the difference in wind speed between a tropical storm and a Category III hurricane makes a world of difference. We…
The distinguished career of Dr. Jon Peterka
CPP, Inc., is at once delighted and filled with regret to announce the retirement of Dr. Jon Peterka, one of our company’s original three founders. Jon’s last day of active service with CPP was February 28, 2014. Although we are sorry to see Jon go, we are excited for the new opportunities and experiences that…
Infosheets, Brochures, and Flyers Archive
Looking for a PDF with some information about CPP services? Here they are: Air Quality Brochure Air Quality Overview CPP Overview CPP Brochure (US) CPP Brochure (AU) CPP Total Comfort Wind Effects on Solar Panels WindLab Solar Overview
What You Need to Know about Wind Effects on Solar Panels
Scenario: A guy walks up to a wind engineer and says…. I just got off the phone with a grad student at the local university who was breathless with good news for me – with the new wind deflector he’s just designed for my roof-mounted solar racking system, the wind actually pushes the panels down into…
The “Effective Stack Height” Fallacy
CPP’s Vice President of Air Quality, John Carter discusses the fallacy of “Effective Stack Height.”
Save Energy & Money in Lab Exhaust Design
CPP Wind Senior Associate John Carter explains how laboratories can save energy and money by knowing how the wind affects the exhaust plume and adjusting exhaust fan usage accordingly.