| Work Detail |
The innovative mooring solution consists of perimeter pontoons, barriers, counterweights, mooring ropes and anchors. Its creators claim that it is cheaper in materials and maintenance, as well as more stable in the face of waves, compared to mooring systems that use elastic cables.
An international research group has designed a new mooring system for coastal and offshore floating solar panels that it claims will lower the costs of such projects.
Compared to the usual bungee cord lashing method, the new method reduces lashing costs for a 195 kW system by 24%, from $62,200 to $47,160 over its lifetime. "Elastic mooring cables must be tensioned periodically because the creep of the rubber can cause a loss of tension, with the consequent increase in maintenance costs over time," the scientists point out, referring to one of the possible problems with the use of elastic mooring cables. this technology.
In the article " An Adaptive Barrier-Mooring System for Coastal Floating Solar Farms ," ??published in Applied Energy , the scientists explain that cost reduction is due to cheaper materials and less need for maintenance of the new system. "The cost comparison is only indicative, since there is significant uncertainty in the different costs," they stressed. “In addition, the cost estimates only include the mooring system. Other related costs, such as transportation, have not been taken into account.”
Called the Adaptive Barrier Mooring System (ABMS), the new system consists of perimeter pontoons, booms, counterweights, mooring lines and anchors.
"The boom is attached to the pontoon at the top and tied to the mass at the bottom, while the mooring lines connect the mass with the anchors attached to the bottom," the researchers explain, referring to the functions of the different parts of the pontoon. system. “The pontoon provides the buoyancy, while the boom tensioned by the clump weight mitigates wave action with the mooring lines holding the rig in place.”
In their analysis, the scientists used 1:30 scale models, with the parameters of the various configurations carefully considered to be realistic compared to field deployment. They compared the performance of a floating array based on a conventional elastic system with that of a floating farm in which the seaward-facing front is supported by ABMS and the shore-facing rear is supported by a variation of this system. in ABMS in which the barrier is replaced by mooring lines.
The researchers found that the system using the new mooing technology is 40% more vertically stable in shortwave periods. In addition, the ABMS-based system proved capable of withstanding changes in water depth of up to 36%, which is very important in tidal fluctuations, without introducing slack in the mooring cables. "The slack can produce sudden jerks and damage the mooring points," the researchers explain.
The research team consisted of scientists from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and Dalian University of Technology (China). “We hope that the development of the ABMS can contribute to the development of coastal floating solar parks in the future,” the team concludes. “Currently, floating solar farms have been installed in bodies of fresh water, such as lakes and reservoirs. However, very few coastal floating solar farms have been installed so far despite the increased availability in the marine space, due to the challenges posed by more complex environmental conditions in the coastal environment.” |
