A floating photovoltaic (FPV) system is a structure of solar cells placed on water, where the solar cells are mounted on floating modules that have to be anchored. To know the size of the anchoring equipment, the forces on the FPV need to be determined. The main force affecting the FPV is the wind force. The force from the wind is directly correlated with the drag coefficient, hence we need to determine the drag coefficient to understand the system. The goal of this thesis is to first find the difference in the drag coefficient between two configurations of FPVs and for a second case with a floater added in front of both setups. To determine the difference in drag coefficient, between the two cases, the wind flow over the FPVs were studied by simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and calculating the drag coefficient for each case. The simulations showed that the difference in drag coefficient in the cases without a floater had the biggest difference between the first FPVs where the difference was a factor of two. For the cases with the floater, the simulations gave a similar result for the two configurations, leading to a smaller difference between the two configurations. We conclude that if a system without a floater is built, the configurations of the FPVs are important, while if the floater is added in front of the FPV there is less importance in the configurations of the FPVs.

To slow climate change, humans should take immediate and widespread action. One way to slow climate change is by switching to switch to renewable power plants such as solar fields. Recently, pioneering companies have built solar fields on water bodies. This study found that such a pairing of water and solar could increase production efficiency by 8-10% through panel cooling, save millions of liters of water from evaporation, and produce energy with under-utilized space.

Submitted by Elóy Esteves Gasparin null (eloygasparin@gmail.com) on 2018-01-11T16:00:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Versão_Final_Elóy_Esteves_Gasparin.pdf: 1930199 bytes, checksum: 9e07c05152e38b9d557c7ac3cc3b6da7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Cristina Alexandra de Godoy null (cristina@adm.feis.unesp.br) on 2018-01-11T18:38:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 gasparin_ee_me_ilha.pdf: 1930199 bytes, checksum: 9e07c05152e38b9d557c7ac3cc3b6da7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-11T18:38:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gasparin_ee_me_ilha.pdf: 1930199 bytes, checksum: 9e07c05152e38b9d557c7ac3cc3b6da7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-19 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Devido à alta demanda da substituição de fontes de energia que utilizam combustíveis fósseis por fontes de energia renovável, a ciência atual busca maximizar a eficiência das fontes renováveis para que sejam economicamente competitivas no mercado. Grande parte da liderança brasileira neste campo se deve à fonte hidráulica, que impacta negativamente o meio ambiente e as populações ribeirinhas. Assim, outras fontes renováveis como a eólica e a solar têm aumentado sua participação na matriz energética do país. Diante deste contexto, sistemas fotovoltaicos com alta eficiência podem aumentar a participação da energia solar na matriz interna de energia elétrica do Brasil. Os sistemas fotovoltaicos flutuantes são 11% mais eficientes do que os sistemas instalados em terra devido às menores temperaturas de operação. Para determinar se a umidade relativa do ar tem influência na eficiência das plantas flutuantes, neste trabalho, a partir de uma análise numérica, avaliou se a eficiência de conversão de energia é influenciada pela distância entre a superfície da água e o módulo fotovoltaico flutuante. Além disso, estudou dois tipos diferentes de módulos fotovoltaicos (monocristalinos e flexíveis) durante as quatro estações do ano, avaliando suas peculiaridades. A Planta Fotovoltaica de Rosana/SP foi utilizada como base para formulação dos modelos físicos, que resultaram em um modelo matemático solucionado através do Método de Volumes Finitos nos softwares FLUENT® e MECHANICAL® do pacote ANSYS®. As quatro distâncias simuladas (100, 300, 600 e 900mm) determinaram que os modelos físico e matemático adotados não captaram de forma conclusiva se as temperaturas de operação dos módulos diminuem com a aproximação da superfície da água. A potência gerada por um módulo monocristalino é 38,8% maior do que a gerada por um módulo flexível, no entanto os monocristalinos são dez vezes mais sensíveis à temperatura de operação. Para a mesma capacidade (25kW), a geração efetiva de energia da planta de módulos flexíveis é 9,1% maior devido à área de incidência receber 63,3% mais irradiação solar. As menores eficiências elétricas ocorrem no Verão/Primavera, entretanto, as plantas geram 30% mais energia em relação ao Outono/Inverno. Na atualidade, os módulos monocristalinos possuem melhor aplicabilidade do que os flexíveis, pois possuem maior eficiência elétrica, mesmo utilizando estruturas de suporte mais robustas. / Due to the high demand for the replacement of energy sources that use fossil fuels by renewable energy sources, the current science seeks to maximize the efficiency of renewable sources to them be economically competitive in the market. Much of the Brazilian leadership in this field is due to the hydraulic source, which negatively impacts the environment and the riverine populations. Thus, other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energies have increased their participation in the country's energy matrix. Given this context, photovoltaic systems with high efficiency can increase the participation of solar energy in the internal matrix of electric energy of Brazil. Floating photovoltaic systems are 11% more efficient than onshore systems due to lower operating temperatures. To determine if the relative humidity of the air influences the efficiency of the floating plants; in this work, based on a numerical analysis, it was evaluated whether the energy conversion efficiency is influenced by the distance between the water surface and the floating photovoltaic module. In addition, it was studied two different types of photovoltaic modules (monocrystalline and flexible) during the 4 seasons of the year, evaluating its peculiarities. The Rosana/SP Photovoltaic Plant was used as the basis for the formulation of the physical models, which resulted in a mathematical model solved through the Finite Volume Method in the FLUENT® and MECHANICAL® softwares of the ANSYS® package. The four simulated distances (100, 300, 600 and 900mm) determined that the physical and mathematical models adopted did not capture in a conclusive way whether the operating temperatures of the modules decrease with the approximation of the water surface. The power generated by a monocrystalline module is 38.8% greater than that generated by a flexible module, however the monocrystalline is ten times more sensitive to the operating temperature. For the same capacity (25kW), the effective power generation of the flexible module plant is 9.1% higher due to the incidence area receiving 63.3% more solar irradiation. The lowest electrical efficiencies occur in the Summer/Spring season, but generate 30% more energy compared to Fall/Winter season. Currently, the monocrystalline modules have better applicability than the flexible ones because they have greater electrical efficiency, even using more robust support structures. / 130005/2016-9

Orientador: João Batista Campos Silva / Resumo: Devido à alta demanda da substituição de fontes de energia que utilizam combustíveis fósseis por fontes de energia renovável, a ciência atual busca maximizar a eficiência das fontes renováveis para que sejam economicamente competitivas no mercado. Grande parte da liderança brasileira neste campo se deve à fonte hidráulica, que impacta negativamente o meio ambiente e as populações ribeirinhas. Assim, outras fontes renováveis como a eólica e a solar têm aumentado sua participação na matriz energética do país. Diante deste contexto, sistemas fotovoltaicos com alta eficiência podem aumentar a participação da energia solar na matriz interna de energia elétrica do Brasil. Os sistemas fotovoltaicos flutuantes são 11% mais eficientes do que os sistemas instalados em terra devido às menores temperaturas de operação. Para determinar se a umidade relativa do ar tem influência na eficiência das plantas flutuantes, neste trabalho, a partir de uma análise numérica, avaliou se a eficiência de conversão de energia é influenciada pela distância entre a superfície da água e o módulo fotovoltaico flutuante. Além disso, estudou dois tipos diferentes de módulos fotovoltaicos (monocristalinos e flexíveis) durante as quatro estações do ano, avaliando suas peculiaridades. A Planta Fotovoltaica de Rosana/SP foi utilizada como base para formulação dos modelos físicos, que resultaram em um modelo matemático solucionado através do Método de Volumes Finitos nos softwares FLUENT® e MECHANICAL® do pacote A... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Due to the high demand for the replacement of energy sources that use fossil fuels by renewable energy sources, the current science seeks to maximize the efficiency of renewable sources to them be economically competitive in the market. Much of the Brazilian leadership in this field is due to the hydraulic source, which negatively impacts the environment and the riverine populations. Thus, other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energies have increased their participation in the country's energy matrix. Given this context, photovoltaic systems with high efficiency can increase the participation of solar energy in the internal matrix of electric energy of Brazil. Floating photovoltaic systems are 11% more efficient than onshore systems due to lower operating temperatures. To determine if the relative humidity of the air influences the efficiency of the floating plants; in this work, based on a numerical analysis, it was evaluated whether the energy conversion efficiency is influenced by the distance between the water surface and the floating photovoltaic module. In addition, it was studied two different types of photovoltaic modules (monocrystalline and flexible) during the 4 seasons of the year, evaluating its peculiarities. The Rosana/SP Photovoltaic Plant was used as the basis for the formulation of the physical models, which resulted in a mathematical model solved through the Finite Volume Method in the FLUENT® and MECHANICAL® softwares of the ANSYS® package.... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Floating solar technology is relatively new, and it comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. This master thesis focuses on understanding how Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) projects perform compared to Ground-Based Photovoltaic (GPV) projects, in specific weather conditions. The following work is based on a case study: a floating power plant run by Akuo Energy, where sensors have been installed in order to measure the evolution of relevant physical and weather parameters on-site. Akuo Energy is a French independent renewable energy producer and developer founded in 2007. The company specializes in the development, financing, construction, and operation of renewable energy projects, including wind, solar and storage power plants. It is committed to producing clean, affordable, and reliable energy while promoting sustainable development and supporting local communities. The thesis is conducted within the Solar Technology Team, which centralizes the solar expertise of the company and implements innovative technologies to improve their Photovoltaic (PV) projects’ performances. As the number of FPV projects increases, the team raised the need for better evaluation of their performance compared to a standard GPV project, in terms of output power and energy yield. As it appears in the literature, FPV installations can differ from GPV, due to different operating conditions: power plant designs, module cooling, weather conditions, or degradation rates. These parameters need to be taken into account in the expected energy yield analysis, especially module cooling, since operating temperature has a proved impact on module efficiency. Today, technological and economic considerations on FPV specific design are therefore essential. However, the main solar projects development software PVsyst used at Akuo Energy does not include a default floating solar library. Experimental measurements are a good starting point for understanding how the numerical model needs to evolve to adapt to the FPV system. By examining a practical case and processing historical data, insights on FPV systems and how weather affects their efficiency can be provided. The objective of this thesis is then to better model the FPV array thermal losses due to the cooling effect and better estimate the yield for future Akuo Energy FPV projects during the development phase. / Flytande solteknik är relativt ny och kommer med sina egna utmaningar och möjligheter. Denna masteruppsats fokuserar på att förstå hur FPV-projekt presterar jämfört med GPV-projekt, under specifika väderförhållanden. Följande arbete är baserat på en fallstudie: ett flytande kraftverk som drivs av Akuo Energy, där sensorer har installerats för att mäta utvecklingen av relevanta fysiska parametrar och väderparametrar på plats. Akuo Energy är en fransk oberoende producent och utvecklare av förnybar energi som grundades 2007. Företaget är specialiserat på utveckling, finansiering, konstruktion och drift av projekt för förnybar energi, inklusive vind-, sol- och lagringskraftverk. Det är engagerat i att producera ren, prisvärd och pålitlig energi samtidigt som man främjar hållbar utveckling och stödjer lokala samhällen. Examensarbetet genomförs inom Solar Technology Team, som centraliserar företagets solexpertis och implementerar innovativa teknologier för att förbättraderas PV-projekts prestanda. När antalet FPV-projekt ökar, tog teamet upp behovet av bättre utvärdering av deras prestanda jämfört med ett standard GPV-projekt, vad gäller uteffekt och energiutbyte. Som det framgår av litteraturen kan FPV-installationer skilja sig från GPV på grund av olika driftsförhållanden: kraftverkskonstruktioner, modulkylning, väderförhållanden, eller nedbrytningshastigheter. Dessa parametrar måste beaktas ta hänsyn till den förväntade energiutbytesanalysen, särskilt modulkylning, eftersom driftstemperaturen har en bevisad inverkan på modulens effektivitet. Idag är därför tekniska och ekonomiska överväganden om FPV specifik design viktiga. Emellertid innehåller den huvudsakliga utvecklingsmjukvaran PVsyst för solenergiprojekt som används på Akuo Energy inte ett flytande solcellsbibliotek som standard. Experimentella mätningar är en bra utgångspunkt för att förstå hur den numeriska modellen behöver utvecklas för att anpassa sig till FPV-systemet. Genom att undersöka ett praktiskt fall och bearbeta historiska data kan insikter om FPV-system och hur vädret påverkar deras effektivitet ges. Syftet med denna avhandling är sedan att bättre modellera FPV-matrisens termiska förluster på grund av kyleffekten och bättre uppskatta avkastningen för framtida Akuo Energy FPV-projekt under utvecklingsfasen.