Wave Basin Tests of a Multi-Body Floating PV System Sheltered by a Floating Breakwater

Joep van der Zanden (), Tim Bunnik, Ainhoa Cortés, Virgile Delhaye, Guillaume Kegelart, Thomas Pehlke and Balram Panjwani
Additional contact information
Joep van der Zanden: Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN), 6708 PM Wageningen, The Netherlands
Tim Bunnik: Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN), 6708 PM Wageningen, The Netherlands
Ainhoa Cortés: CEIT-Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Manuel Lardizabal 15, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
Virgile Delhaye: Department of Fisheries and New Biomarine Industry, SINTEF Ocean, 7010 Trondheim, Norway
Guillaume Kegelart: Sunlit Sea AS, Fjordgata 30, 7010 Trondheim, Norway
Thomas Pehlke: CLEMENT GmbH, 18055 Rostock, Germany
Balram Panjwani: Department of Fisheries and New Biomarine Industry, SINTEF Ocean, 7010 Trondheim, Norway

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: The development of floating photovoltaic systems (FPV) for coastal and offshore locations requires a solid understanding of a design’s hydrodynamic performance through reliable methods. This study aims to extend insights into the hydrodynamic behavior of a superficial multi-body FPV system in mild and harsh wave conditions through basin tests at scale 1:10, with specific interest in the performance of hinges that interconnect the PV panels. Particular effort is put into correctly scaling the elasticity of the flexible hinges that interconnect the PV modules. Tests of a 5 × 3 FPV matrix are performed, with and without shelter, by external floating breakwater (FBW). The results show that the PV modules move horizontally in the same phase when the wave length exceeds the length of the FPV system, but shorter waves result in relative motions between modules and, for harsh seas, in hinge buckling. Relative motions suggest that axial loads are highest for the hinges that connect the center modules in the system and for normal wave incidence, while shear loads are highest on the outward hinges and for oblique incidence. The FBW reduces hinge loads as it attenuates the high-frequency wave energy that largely drives relative motions between PV modules.

Keywords: floating solar; photovoltaics; wave basin tests; floating breakwater; very large floating structure; multi-body floating structure; hydro-elasticity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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