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New DIN Standard for PV systems, I.F.I.'s contribution

PV system on a flat roof, istock.com/RDphotosAs EN 1991-1-4 and its National Annexes do not take sufficient account of the special features of PV systems installed on flat roofs, there has long been a desire in Germany for a standard for the planning and dimensioning of such systems. A standard with similar objectives already exists in other countries such as the Netherlands and the USA - but not (yet) in Germany.

In 2021, a working committee for such a standard was set up within the DIN Construction Standards Committee (NABau). Work is now well advanced and the working committee met in presence in the second half of January 2024 to make important decisions regarding the comments to the working document.

Members of the working committee include representatives of the public sector, labour and consumer protection, well-known manufacturers in the PV industry and, last but not least, I.F.I. which in its position as an institute and company has gained a great deal of expertise and years of experience in the precise determination of design wind loads for PV systems.

With I.F.I.'s contribution this area, manufacturers of PV systems for flat and pitched roofs will have at their disposal a sound basis for determining realistic pressure coefficients without having to resort to the very conservative approaches of EN 1991-1-4 for the roof surfaces themselves, which do not reflect the special aerodynamic properties of PV systems.

Thanks to our position as accredited testing laboratory for the testing of NSHEVs in accordance with EN 12101-2, we are also aware of the particular challenges posed by the increasingly frequent multiple occupancy of roofs for smoke extraction and solar systems. The experts at I.F.I. also make a valuable contribution in this part of the standard.

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