Rotating, vertical floating PV system for offshore applications

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From pv magazine Global

An international research group has developed a vertical PV system design for applications in offshore waters.

Called PVSail, the novel system allows the floating structure to align with the prevailing wind direction to shed wind loads.

“The patented system of SolarMarine Energy minimizes environmental loads of both wind and wave,” corresponding author, Giuseppe Marco Tina, told pv magazine. “We are currently concluding an extensive series of tank testing and testing on a small scale in inland waters. A full-scale nearshore demonstration deployment is planned for 2025.”

The PVSail relies on a strong anchoring system, with the pole fixed upon it being able to rotate and change the orientation of the PV panels in accordance with wind and wave forces. The researchers, some of whom are part of the SolarMarine Energy company, expect it to be relatively inexpensive in shallow water up to 5 m.

“As a consequence of the system constantly moving relative to the wind, the efficiency of PV modules critically depends on the azimuth angle, which is not fixed but determined by the dominant wind direction,” the team highlighted.

To investigate the viability of such a system, the researchers conducted a numerical analysis of two cases, both with identical PV panels. While one case considered a fixed azimuth that yields the most energy, representing a fixed system, the second case represented the moving sail, with azimuth changing from 0 to 180 degrees. Both instances were simulated under the conditions of Catania, Italy, and Nigg Bay, United Kingdom. In the sail case, the tilt angle was either 10, 20, or 30 degrees. In all instances, water albedo was assumed to be 0.07.

“Comparisons of unitary AC energy yields between the vertical systems with variable azimuth angles and south-oriented tilted PV systems in Catania and Nigg Bay indicate a reduced energy yield of approximately 9% and an increase of about 5%, respectively,” the academics. “Shading effects from design choices were not considered in this research.”

The group also explained that, while reduced water albedo impact is limited, it significantly benefits high latitudes over 40 degrees, where a vertical bifacial module with an azimuth of 90 degrees and adjusted albedo delivers comparable energy yield to a standard PV module tilted at 20 degrees.

The system was described in “PVSails: Harnessing Innovation With Vertical Bifacial PV Modules in Floating Photovoltaic Systems,” published in Progress in Photovoltaics. The research was conducted by scientists from Italy’s University of Catania and engineering firm Koiné Multimedia SAS, Egypt’s Port-Said University, and Ireland-based SolarMarine Energy.

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