sbp sonne was contracted to carry out a design review of the 1P NX Horizon PV tracker system designed by the company NEXTracker.
The design review was conducted to confirm the tracker’s structural integrity for the Sakaka project in Saudi Arabia.
Both local standards and a statistic wind analysis were used to determine the wind load on site. Loads based on static pressure coefficients as well as the dynamic response factors were considered given the structural eigenfrequencies and damping ratios. Finite element models of design features and details were analysed under critical load conditions.
Sakaka was the first large scale PV facility tendered by Saudi Arabia as part of the National Renewable Energy Program. The project successfully went online ahead of schedule.
