Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa

Ghigo, Alberto; Faraggiana, Emilio; Sirigu, Massimo; Mattiazzo, Giuliana; Bracco, Giovanni

doi:10.3390/en15238804

Open AccessArticle

Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa

by

Alberto Ghigo

^*

,

Emilio Faraggiana

,

Massimo Sirigu

,

Giuliana Mattiazzo

and

Giovanni Bracco

Marine Offshore Renewable Energy Lab (MOREnergy Lab), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS), Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Energies 2022, 15(23), 8804; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238804

Submission received: 27 September 2022 / Revised: 14 November 2022 / Accepted: 17 November 2022 / Published: 22 November 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Technologies for Renewable Energy Development and Utilization)

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Abstract

In recent years, numerous projects for floating PV systems have been developed. These plants of various sizes have mainly been installed on enclosed lakes or basins characterised by the absence of external forcing related to waves and currents. However, offshore installation would allow the development of such plants in areas where land is not available, such as islands. This paper analyses the state of the art of floating PV, describes the design of a floating PV platform and the development of a numerical model to evaluate the system performance in an offshore environment. The case study of the island of Lampedusa is then analyzed: starting from a single floating foundation with its mooring system, a floating PV system is designed to meet the island’s electricity needs. In order to provide the competitiveness of the system, a techno-economic analysis is carried out, evaluating the main cost items of Capex, Opex and LCOE. Although the LCOE obtained is significantly higher than a traditional solar plant installed on land, this technology is competitive compared to other offshore marine technologies such as offshore wind and wave energy.

Keywords: floating PV; marine offshore renewable energy; solar energy; Mediterranean sea; hydrostatic analysis; dynamic modelling; techno-economic analysis; LCOE

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ghigo, A.; Faraggiana, E.; Sirigu, M.; Mattiazzo, G.; Bracco, G. Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa. Energies 2022, 15, 8804. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238804

AMA Style

Ghigo A, Faraggiana E, Sirigu M, Mattiazzo G, Bracco G. Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa. Energies. 2022; 15(23):8804. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238804

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ghigo, Alberto, Emilio Faraggiana, Massimo Sirigu, Giuliana Mattiazzo, and Giovanni Bracco. 2022. "Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa" Energies 15, no. 23: 8804. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238804

APA Style

Ghigo, A., Faraggiana, E., Sirigu, M., Mattiazzo, G., & Bracco, G. (2022). Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa. Energies, 15(23), 8804. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238804

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Design and Analysis of a Floating Photovoltaic System for Offshore Installation: The Case Study of Lampedusa

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