Abstract: In this paper,the wind load characteristics of single vertical row photovoltaic arrays and the influence of wind direction and inclination angle are systematically studied using numerical method. The results show that under the crosswind,the wind load coefficient of the photovoltaic modules on the windward side is the largest. The drag coefficient,lift coefficient and overturning moment coefficient of the photovoltaic modules increase when the inclination angle becomes larger. These coefficients rapidly change when the inclination angle is less than 20°,and then turn to be constant after the inclination angle is above 20°. The shielding effect is very obvious for the PV arrays. The windward photovoltaic modules reduce the incoming wind speed of the leeward side modules,therefore,the wind load on the photovoltaic module located in the downstream area is obviously lower than those in windward. In addition,the shielding effect is more obvious when the inclination angle is larger.