Floating Solar Lattice Structure for Bank-Side Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floating solar installations with modular designs face challenges in assembly and maintenance, requiring excessive buoyancy for operator load, sensitivity to roll, pitch, and yaw, and difficulty in assembling without lifting tools, and are prone to deformation under compressive and tensile forces.
Innovation Solution
A modular floating solar installation with a lattice structure of polygonal mesh beams that can be assembled from the bank, resisting compressive and tensile forces within the horizontal plane, allowing for easy assembly and maintenance without oversizing buoyancy, using structural modules and float modules that can be submerged or at water height, with flexible connections to accommodate vertical loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the buoyancy of the solar installation is oversized to take the load of operators during maintenance, then the maintenance capability is improved, but the material costs and structural weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The installation is divided into separate functional components: floating support devices for structural support, and maintenance aisles created by spacing between rows. Operators access panels through water-filled channels between rows rather than walking on the structure itself, eliminating the need for oversized buoyancy to support operator weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Water acts as an intermediary medium for maintenance access. The channels between photovoltaic panel rows are filled with water, allowing operators to access panels from the water level rather than from above, thus the buoyancy structure only needs to support panel weight, not operator weight.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the structure uses cables in tension to limit sensitivity to rolling, pitching and yaw, then the stability is improved, but the assembly difficulty and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using cables in tension (pulling forces) to stabilize the structure, the patent uses beams and struts in compression (pushing forces) to achieve the same stabilization effect. This inversion allows for simpler assembly without requiring pre-tensioning of cables.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure uses locally optimized components: floating support devices with specific buoyancy characteristics at critical locations, and structural beams positioned to provide compression resistance where needed. This localized approach achieves stability without requiring a complex system-wide cable tensioning network.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the structure is designed to work only in tension with submerged horizontal cables, then the sensitivity to rolling, pitching and yaw is reduced, but the resistance to compression forces is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The structure combines different material properties and structural forms: floating support devices providing buoyancy, rigid beams providing compression resistance, and connection elements providing flexibility. This composite approach creates a structure that can simultaneously resist both tension and compression forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure incorporates dynamic flexibility through floating connections and buoyancy-adjustable components. The floating support devices can move vertically to accommodate wave action and compression forces, while the rigid beams provide structural integrity. This dynamic design allows the structure to handle both tensile and compressive loads effectively.
4Ease of manufacture
If the modular components are designed for easy assembly from the bank without lifting tools, then the assembly ease is improved, but the structural strength and resistance to deformation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The installation is segmented into lightweight modular floating support devices that can be manually assembled from the bank. Each module is designed to be handled without heavy lifting equipment, while the overall structure achieves required strength through the collective arrangement and interconnection of these modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the physical parameters of modular components to enable easy handling: reduced individual component weight, optimized buoyancy-to-weight ratio for manual positioning, and standardized connection interfaces. These parameter changes allow easy assembly while maintaining overall structural integrity through proper component selection and arrangement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid assembly and maintenance of photovoltaic panels with reduced material usage, improved resistance to deformation, and efficient use of space and weight, allowing for easy transportation and storage, while keeping panels out of the water.
Implementation Method 1
resisting the compressive forces and the tensile forces to which said structure of the network is subjected
Implementation Method 2
resisting the compressive forces and the tensile forces to which said structure of the network is subjected
Implementation Method 3
floating solar installation supporting photovoltaic panels, resulting from the assembly of structural modules and floating modules on a body of water
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a floating solar facility (1) for supporting photovoltaic panels (PV), the facility being produced by assembling structural modules (2) and floating modules (3) on an expanse of water, forming a network of floating support devices (4) for supporting photovoltaic panels, the network comprising at least: - a first row of floating support devices for supporting a first row (R1) of photovoltaic panels, - a second row of floating support devices for supporting a second row (R2) of photovoltaic panels, the first row (R1) and the second row (R2) of photovoltaic panels being spaced apart in the transverse direction (T), perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, by structural modules (2), and at least the structural modules which ensure the spacing between the first row (R1) and the second row (R2) of photovoltaic panels being configured to be submerged, at least when a service unit passes through.