Numerical study of soft-connected modular offshore floating photovoltaic array

Abstract

Offshore floating photovoltaics (FPV) has emerged as a viable technology due to abundant space and efficiency. However, deploying FPV in offshore environments is challenging due to harsh environmental conditions. This paper studies a recently developed FPV concept with a lightweight, semi-submersible float with soft connections for offshore conditions to address the technical and economic challenges. The study aims to obtain insight into the dynamic behaviour of the proposed FPV design with a numerical model. The hydrodynamic model is based on the potential solver WADAM. The rigid body motions of floats with the dynamics of flexible structural elements subjected to wave excitations are studied in time-domain software SIMO-RIFLEX. The time domain numerical model is calibrated and validated by using available experimental results. The results from the numerical simulation are found to match the experimental results on the float motions and mooring tensions satisfactorily under regular and irregular wave conditions. A parametric study is carried out to examine the effect of mooring line pretension and stiffness on the motion response of the FPV floats. The findings from the numerical study provide valuable insight for further design optimisation and development of similar systems.