INSTITUTIONAL SEMINAR
Renewable Energies and Aerodynamics, the impact of wind on solar panels.
The Institute for Modeling and Technological Innovation (IMIT) held the penultimate session of its successful 2025 Seminar Series. This session featured a presentation by Marcelo Adotti, M.Sc. in Engineering, who offered an advanced technical perspective on the safety and efficiency of renewable energy infrastructure. The virtual seminar, titled "Characterization and Analysis of Fluctuating Pressures on Solar Panel Modules," brought together students, researchers, and professionals interested in structural engineering and fluid dynamics.
Innovation in the Face of Regulatory Gaps: Adotti highlighted a key challenge for local engineering related to the effects of wind on solar panels, which are not fully characterized in the current Argentine regulations (CIRSOC 102). To address this need, the speaker presented the first stage of a series of fluctuating pressure measurements carried out in the wind tunnel of the Faculty of Engineering at UNNE (National University of the Northeast).
The study used a 1:10 scale model with a 20-degree tilt, allowing for the evaluation of the dynamics of the "quasi-instantaneous" pressures generated by the interaction between the wind and the structure.
Cutting-Edge Technology in Data Analysis: One of the highlights of the day was the explanation of the post-processing of the data obtained. Engineer Adotti detailed how advanced mathematical techniques, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD), were applied. These tools enabled the identification of the main frequencies and modes of turbulent flow, a fundamental step in ensuring the dynamic stability of solar farms in our region.
This event reaffirms IMIT's commitment to disseminating cutting-edge research, bringing crucial topics for sustainable technological development closer to the scientific community.
About the speaker: Marcelo Adotti is an Adjunct Professional Support Staff member at CONICET in the Aerodynamics and Computational Mechanics Laboratories of IMIT. With a decade of experience in experimental testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), he is currently pursuing his PhD in Engineering at UNNE.