Research Article

Evaluation of the electrical parameters and performance of floating PV generators

¹ Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
² Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, 80309 – USA

^* e-mail: cristiana@pucminas.br

Received: 28 August 2023
Revised: 26 December 2023
Accepted: 28 January 2024

Abstract

This study provides evaluation of floating photovoltaics (PV) in the Brazil tropical climate and discusses the specific technical and environmental benefits and limitations. This paper develops a model simulating the annual performance of the photovoltaic generator of a floating photovoltaic plant as a function of a given conditions. The reference is a 1.2-MWp floating-PV system commissioned in 2023 near the city of Grão Mogol, Brazil, in the reservoir of the PCH Santa Marta hydropower plant. The influence of the ambient meteorological and marine parameters on the PV module temperature, current, voltage, and power were evaluated. The simulation uses a reference crystalline-Si PV module and the Engineering Equation Solver (EES). Relevant experimental data, including incident solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed were used as input data for the model. The effect of these parameters on the thermal end electrical parameters was assessed. Although small variations were found throughout the year, significant hourly and daily variations were observed, depending on solar irradiation and ambient and resulting module surface temperatures. The voltage at the maximum power decreases with the increase of the solar module surface temperature. The convective heat transfer rates are higher than the radiative heat transfer rates. This study provides a first-time complete energy and exergy analysis of a floating PV system (FPVS) incorporating the various heat transfer rates, electrical and irradiance parameters, under climate and meteorological conditions for this Brazil location.