A joint research team from Chongqing University and PowerChina has developed an upgraded dual-parallel cable-truss photovoltaic support system (CSPS), a cutting-edge structural solution tailored for large-scale solar projects on mountainous, undulating, and high-wind terrains. Breaking through the performance limitations of conventional solar mounting structures, this innovative design greatly enhances torsional stiffness and wind flutter resistance, delivering stable and reliable support for solar module arrangement and long-term layout of solar cable and PV cable systems in complex and harsh working conditions. Matched with high-performance, terrain-adaptive solar cable solutions from Kuka Cable, the integrated system realizes dual upgrades in structural stability and cable operation safety for special-scenario solar power stations.
Traditional cable-supported solar structures, including single-layer cable systems, spatial cable systems, and conventional cable-truss systems, have long suffered from inherent technical defects. Single-layer cable structures feature simple construction but generate excessive wind-induced displacement, which easily triggers extrusion, stretching and aging damage to supporting solar cable and PV cable under long-term wind vibration. Although spatial cable systems and conventional cable-truss structures optimize vertical rigidity and bidirectional wind load resistance, they still have insufficient torsional resistance. This common flaw easily causes structural tilt and instability, lowers the critical flutter wind speed of solar facilities, and poses persistent safety risks to the stable power transmission of solar cable circuits.
Inspired by bridge aerodynamic theories, the newly upgraded dual-parallel cable-truss CSPS fundamentally optimizes the structural stress mechanism. By dividing a single integral truss into two parallel truss units, the system substantially improves torsional load resistance without extra material consumption. Equipped with π-shaped purlins to arrange double rows of solar modules, the structure extends the force arm and further boosts overall torsional stability. This optimized layout effectively suppresses structural flutter and deformation, creating a stable installation and operation environment for matched PV cable and solar cable products. Kuka Cable’s low-flutter, high-tensile solar cables are perfectly compatible with this new structure, effectively resisting structural micro-deformation and wind vibration fatigue, and extending the full-life-cycle stability of solar power systems.
The research team established a complete mechanical analysis model and a simplified sag calculation formula suitable for on-site solar engineering, forming a mature iterative design process for cable truss parameters. A 40-meter large-span numerical simulation was conducted under hurricane-level extreme wind conditions, with a design wind pressure of 0.654 kPa and a gust factor of 1.7, verifying the excellent structural robustness of the new CSPS. Key parameters including cable sag, truss height, and cable pretension were systematically analyzed, as these indicators directly determine the wind resistance of solar brackets and the long-term operational reliability of supporting solar cable systems.
Simulation test results show that the dual cable truss maintains stable sag values of 2230 mm and 1770 mm under a 30 kN main cable pretension. When the ambient wind pressure exceeds 0.45 kPa, the cable sag remains stable despite fluctuating pretension, proving the structure’s strong adaptability to extreme wind environments. Modal analysis confirms that a reasonable 30 kN pretension configuration maximizes the structure’s vertical and torsional natural frequencies, achieving a critical flutter wind speed of 36.8 m/s. Excessively high pretension fails to further improve aerodynamic stability, indicating that balanced parameter matching is the core to protecting solar modules and PV cable systems.
Further static comparison tests demonstrate that structural geometric design dominates the overall performance of large-span solar brackets. Optimizing truss height delivers far better anti-deformation effects than simply adjusting cable pretension, providing targeted design guidance for large-scale solar project construction. Uniformly arranged structural braces maintain a standard parabolic cable profile, ensuring consistent stress distribution of solar cables and avoiding abnormal wear and tension overload caused by structural deformation. Complementing this structural advantage, Kuka Cable’s customized solar cable series features high tensile resistance, low deformation, and excellent UV and wind aging resistance, perfectly fitting the long-span and high-stability operational requirements of the new CSPS.
Published in Results in Engineering, this research verifies that the dual-parallel cable-truss CSPS achieves an optimal balance of lightweight construction, low cost, and high aerodynamic stability. It effectively solves the bottleneck of large-scale solar development on complex terrains, fills the technical gap in high-wind-resistance large-span solar support systems, and significantly improves the service life and operational safety of solar power stations. Combined with professional and reliable solar cable and PV cable solutions from Kuka Cable, this innovative structural system provides a standardized, efficient, and cost-effective integrated solution for global large-scale solar projects in complex and extreme environments.
