Wind-induced loads on photovoltaic (PV) panels on low-sloped (3:12) gable roofs

This dataset originates from a wind tunnel study conducted at the NHERI Wall of Wind (WOW) Experimental Facility at Florida International University. The study investigated the influence of photovoltaic (PV) panel size, orientation, and roof coverage on wind-induced loads for low-sloped gable roofs. A 1:20 scaled model of a single-story gable-roof building (38 ft × 66 ft [11.5 m × 20 m]) was tested with three panel sizes—6.56 ft (2.0 m), 7.38 ft (2.25 m), and 8.20 ft (2.5 m)—each 3.77 ft (1.15 m) wide, mounted 5 in (127 mm) above the roof with 0.787 in (20 mm) gaps between panels.

Sixteen instrumented PV panels (eight in landscape and eight in portrait) were mounted on the roof and tested under 24 wind directions at 15° increments. Each panel was equipped with 16 pressure taps (128 total) on the top and bottom surfaces, with additional roof taps used to record baseline conditions. Time histories of pressure data were acquired at 625 Hz and post-processed to extract mean, peak, and area-averaged pressure and force coefficients. Two roof coverage scenarios (full and partial) were tested to simulate realistic installation layouts.

Results revealed that smaller panels tend to experience more intense suction, especially in landscape orientation, while larger panels exhibited more uniform load distributions. The data are valuable for improving ASCE 7–22 wind load provisions, validating numerical models, and informing mounting design for large-format PV panels on sloped roofs. The dataset supports code development, extreme wind vulnerability studies, and simulation calibration for rooftop solar systems.