Study of a Photovoltaic System as an Emergency Power Supply for Offshore Plant Facilities

Abstract

The use of eco-friendly energy in the offshore plant system is expanding because conventional generators are operated by fossil fuel or natural gas. Eco-friendly energy, which replaces existing power generation methods, should be capable of generating the power for lighting protection equipment, airborne fault indication, parameter measurement, and others. Most of the eco-friendly energy used in offshore plant facilities is solar and wind power. In the case of using photovoltaic power, because the structure must be constructed based as flat solar panels, it can be damaged easily by the wind. Therefore, there is a need for a new generation system composed of a spherical structure that does not require a separate structure and is less influenced by the wind. Considering these characteristics, in this study we designed, fabricated, and tested a unit that could provide the most efficient spherical photovoltaic power generation considering wind direction and wind pressure. Our test results indicated that the proposed system reduced costs because it did not require any separate structure, used eco-friendly energy, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and expanded the proportion of eco-friendly energy use by offshore plant facilities.