• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.1353-1362
• /
• 2014

In recent years, numerous environmental problems associated with the excessive use of fossil fuel are taking place. For an alternative energy resource, the importance of renewable energy and the demands of facilities to generate renewable energy are continuously rising. To satisfy such demands, a large number of photovoltaic energy generation structures are constructed and planned with large scale. However, because these facility zones are mostly constructed on land, some troubles are occurred such as rising of construction cost due to the cost of land use, environmental devastation, etc. To solve such problems, the floating type photovoltaic energy generation system using FRP members have been developed in Korea. FRP members are recently available in civil engineering applications due to many advantages such as high strength, corrosion resistance, light weight, etc. and they are suitable to fabricate the floating structures because of their material properties. In this study, the analytical and experimental investigations to evaluate the structural performance of floating PV generation structure and SMC FRP vertical member which is used to fabricate the structure were conducted. The static and dynamic performances of floating PV generation structure are evaluated through the FE analysis and the experiment, respectively. Moreover, the structural safety evaluation and buckling analysis of SMC FRP vertical compression member are also conducted by the FE analysis, and the structural behavior of SMC FRP member under compression and pullout is investigated by the experiments. From this study, it was found that the structural system composed of pultruded FRP and SMC FRP members are safe enough to resist externally applied loads.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Advanced Composite Structures
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.18-27
• /
• 2010

We had designed and constructed floating type photovoltaic energy generation system. In this paper, we present the result of investigations pertaining to the development of links between unit modules of the floating type photovoltaic energy generation system. The link system installed between the unit modules is made of pultruded FRP, tire, and polyethilene synthetic fiber rope. The link system is analized by the finite element method. The floating type photovoltaic energy generation system consisted of unit modules connected by link system is installed successfully at sea site. In addition, we present the modified design of the floating type photovoltaic energy generation system based on the proto type system.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.10
• /
• pp.229-235
• /
• 2019

A floating photovoltaic generation system is a new concept that combines existing photovoltaic generation technology with floating technology. This is installed in the water not on conventional land and a building. The system is designed as a unit module type that can be connected to other modules according to the power generation capacity, thereby forming a large-scale power generation facility. As a renewable energy source, it is composed of a floating structure, mooring device, photovoltaic power generation facility, and underwater cable. Because this system is installed outdoors, the effect of the wind load on the structure is very large. In this study, the wind loads most affected on the floating photovoltaic generation structure were obtained by computational fluid dynamic analysis. The flow characteristics and wind loads were analyzed for a range of wind orientations and angles of inclination. The analysis showed the position and magnitude of the maximum wind load to the wind direction and the flow characteristics around the solar panel and floating system. The wind load increased with increasing angle of inclination of the panel to the ground.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Advanced Composite Structures
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.16-26
• /
• 2010

In this paper, we present the result of investigations pertaining to the development of the floating type photovoltaic energy generation system. Pultruded FRP has superior mechanical and physical properties compared with those of conventional structural materials. Since the FRP has an excellent corrosion-resistance and high specific strength and stiffness, the FRP material may be highly appreciated for the development of the floating type photovoltaic energy generation system. In the paper, we discussed the development concepts of the floating type photovoltaic energy generation system, briefly. The mechanical properties of the FRP structural member used in the development are investigated through the tensile and compression tests. Test results are used in the finite element analysis and the design of the system. In addition, bolted connections of the members are briefly discussed and the strengths of FRP bolted connections are estimated based on the results of experiments. The experimental results are compared with the finite element analysis results and discussed briefly. The floating type photovoltaic energy generation system is designed, fabricated, and installed successfully in site.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.293-305
• /
• 2019

In this study we investigated the effect of a floating photovoltaic (FPV) system in Cheongpung Lake on water quality. The FPV with a tilt angle of 33° covered ca. 0.04% of surface area (97 ㎢) of Chungju Lake. The water qualities of the whole lake before and after installation of FPV were first compared. DO, BOD, TOC, and Chl-a of the whole lake were increased, while conductivity decreased after installation period at the significance level of 0.05. This change was probably due to the increased influx of nutrients by 40% resulting from increased precipitation during the same period. We also measured water quality parameters on May and Nov. 2017 at the FPV center (FPVC) and nearby control sites, and compared water quality. The result showed that the FPVC and nearby sites were not significantly different (p>0.05), demonstrating that the FPV does not cause a decline of water quality. The water temperature, light intensity, and phytoplankton community were also measured. The water temperature was not different between the sites, while the light intensity decreased to 27~50%. Despite reduced light intensity at FPVC, the phytoplankton standing crops and the number of species were not significantly different (p>0.05). However, in the early November samples, standing crops was significantly higher in FPVC than control with periphytic diatoms belonging to Aulacoseira genus being dominant. This may be due to the temporal water body behavior or local retention of current by FPV system. This study may provide a measure of future installation of a FPV system.