Effects of flexible connectors on hydrodynamic and energy output characteristics of floating photovoltaic (FPV) arrays in harsh marine environments: a physical model analysis

The safety and generating efficiency of FPV platforms in harsh environments have received increased attention owing to the rapid development of offshore photovoltaic systems. In this study, the hydrodynamic response of an FPV array to regular waves was investigated using a physical model, and the output characteristics of the photovoltaic cell in dynamic operation scenarios are studied based on the illumination and series PV array power generation model. The effects of wave height, wavelength, wave direction, and multi-floating body connection on the motion response, mooring force, and generation efficiency of this type of FPV were analyzed. The results show that the longitudinal oscillatory motion response of the FPV array can be primarily categorized into wave-frequency modal components and other low-frequency components. The low-frequency modal components exhibited large-scale slow-drift motion, whereas the wave-frequency modal components exhibited small-amplitude oscillations based on the low-frequency modal components. The surge motion amplitude of the FPV module connected by a ball hinge was mainly affected by the waves and connector type, whereas that of the platform connected by a cable was mainly affected by waves. Ball hinged connections can enhance FPV motion stability and reduce mooring forces, in terms of wave length and direction sensitivity. The FPV array with ball hinge can reduce the inter-module maximum power point disparity to 2.5 %, effectively mitigating grid frequency/voltage fluctuations caused by power oscillations. Overall, the findings of this study offer valuable insights and practical guidance for maximum power tracking algorithm improvements of FPVs, contributing to the advancement of more efficient and reliable FPV technologies.