Mooring And Anchoring System For Floating PV

Float to float connections are critical components in modular floating structures and should be designed with adequate strength to resist environmental loads. The FPV arrays are designed to move freely in the vertical direction following the waves. To keep such a huge and complex system horizontally in position under adverse offshore environmental conditions, the design of the anchoring and mooring system must consider the actions arising from combined wave, wind, and current loads. Components of anchoring and mooring systems for floating photovoltaic (PV) installations typically include the following elements:

Anchors: It is designed to hold floating PV systems in place, provide stability and prevent drift. Depending on the specific site conditions and water depth, anchors can come in many forms, such as gravity anchors, trailing buried anchors, or helical anchors.

Mooring lines: It is appropriate to design connectors that do not transmit bending moments as the wave-induced forces and movements are expected to be large in an offshore condition, so the use of soft elastic rope is proposed. Rope connections attract lower connection forces and are less prone to fatigue concerns. They help maintain the position and direction of the system by resisting the forces of waves, currents, and wind.

Connectors and Hardware: Includes shackles, swivels and other accessories used to securely attach mooring lines to floating PV platforms and anchors. All these connectors are hot dip galvanized to have better corrosion resistance in marine environment.

Tensioning and monitoring systems: To ensure proper tension and integrity of the mooring lines, tensioning devices and monitoring systems can be integrated into the anchoring and mooring systems. These components help maintain the desired tension level and allow real-time monitoring of the forces acting on the system.

Buoys: Depending on the design of the floating PV platform, buoys with appropriate buoyancy can be incorporated into the mooring system to provide additional buoyancy, stability and visibility.