Prof. Dr. Ahmet Turer is a distinguished structural engineer and full-time faculty member at METU. His keynote lecture will present forensic evidence from numerous solar power plant failures observed under heavy snow conditions in Türkiye. The lecture will discuss how snow drifting, aerodynamic effects, inadequate structural detailing, and improper design assumptions can cause collapse and severe damage in ground-mounted photovoltaic systems.
Lecture Will Address
Snow accumulation mechanisms and snow drifting around solar arrays
Limitations of applying TS 498 provisions to GMPV systems
Aerodynamic gap requirements and balanced snow depth concepts
Wind–snow interaction and trapped snow formation beneath panels
Buckling behavior of cold-formed C-section support members
Structural failures caused by improper connections and workmanship
Lessons learned from insurance and forensic engineering investigations
Implementation of ASCE 7-22 and EN 1991-1-3:2025 for reliable solar infrastructure
Structural Engineering
Solar Energy Infrastructure
Snow Loads
Forensic Engineering