Over the weekend, an extreme weather phenomenon known as explosive cyclogenesis (colloquially termed “the perfect storm”) led to hurricane force winds across the Iberian Peninsular and into France, leading to a number of deaths.
Explosive cyclogenesis is the scientific term for rapid extratropical cyclone development that is often associated with major winter storms and occurs when surface pressure falls by more than about 24 millibars per day.
The general term used for these rapidly deepening depressions, is a ‘bomb’. These happen frequently throughout the Atlantic, and several times a year, we see this happening pretty close to European shores. Indeed, explosive cyclogenesis was behind the devastating 1987 storm across southern England, which cost a total of 18 lives and close to €1 billion in repairs and clear-up costs. Around 15 million trees were lost and hundreds of thousands of homes were without power for more than 24 hours.
While this latest explosive cyclogenesis event in Spain was not so severe, Xinthia did test the robustness of many solar arrays across Spain. The most affected areas in Spain were the Canary Islands, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarre, the north of Castile-Leon and high mountain regions. Winds swept from north to south caused by the explosive cyclogenesis and reached speeds of up to 200 km/h accompanied by heavy rains.
Gusts topping 132 km/h
Many photovoltaic array owners waited with baited breath to see what damage the hurricane-force winds would cause, but one, the OPDE Group, was pleasantly surprised to discover that all 5,000 of its Mecasolar solar trackers on its solar farms across Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile-Leon and Navarre had withstood the hurricane-force winds caused by Xinthia. The storm particularly affected the OPDE Group’s solar farms in Almaraz (Cáceres), which resisted gusts topping 132 km/h, and Belvis de Monroy (Cáceres), which recorded maximum wind speeds up to 102 km/h.
According to the OPDE Group company, Mecasolar, the safety mechanism for wind fitted on all its trackers prevented any structural problems or broken panels; confirming that, “these trackers are the most rigid and mechanically better built on the market”.
"Last weekend our trackers have once again beat records for wind resistance of 132 km/h showing the market on the ground that they are the most robust and best built mechanically on the market," says Gustavo Carrero, Director of Marketing of the OPDE Group.
These trackers are maintained and constantly monitored by OPDE from the Control Centre located at Rios, another OPDE Group company.
Automatic safety mechanism
The 2-axis Mecasolar Tracker MS-2E is designed to withstand high wind speeds, having been tested in conditions of up to 140 Km/h. The automatic device can be programmed to control movement and position itself in the horizontal position in the event of winds of more than 70 km/h, or any other speed considered to be of interest with regards the situation of the solar plant.
The wind safety mechanism fitted on the trackers is operated by an automatic device, which positions the trackers in a completely horizontal position at certain wind speeds.
When the speed is higher, the gear motor brake is released and the tracker can rotate freely, similar to construction cranes. The whole process is controlled by an anemometer installed in each wind farm, which records wind speeds and directions. This data is recorded on a database for further analysis and control at the Operation and Maintenance Control Centre located in Fustiñana (Navarre).
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