SBIR Phase I: Feasibility investigation for a self-buoyant solar panel

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是将一种新型的自浮力面板推向市场，这将使浮动光伏（FPV）在实现国家清洁能源目标方面发挥重要作用。联邦太阳能未来研究描述了一个目标，即利用太阳能产生超过40%的国家电力，这将需要10倍的增长。然而，到2050年，这将需要1000万英亩的土地——比新泽西州还大。FPV系统可以直接缓解土地位移。根据NREL的数据，美国24,419个水体的技术潜力超过300吉瓦。扩展部署的障碍是支撑面板所需的人工岛的成本溢价，与地面安装的公用事业规模的太阳能电池阵列相比，它可以增加30%的系统成本。拟议的太阳能电池板设计浮子采用密封的光伏（PV）玻璃管，无需安装硬件，以解决成本溢价问题。此外，光伏管像单轴跟踪器一样跟踪太阳，但没有移动部件，可将发电量提高10-20%。这些系统可能成为最便宜的太阳能形式。SBIR第一期项目旨在解决FPV技术商业化的主要障碍。实现该解决方案的市场和影响潜力需要消除多个风险，并实现拟议项目中涉及的几个里程碑。该公司将改进和测试功能管，这些管的两端密封，以保持漂浮并保护太阳能电池。该公司将与美国首屈一指的海洋可再生能源研究机构之一合作，研究设计的多个方面。首先，该项目将侧重于满足运行要求的坚固结构系统。该项目将使用模拟工具研究一系列波浪和风力条件下所需的系泊系统和面板配置。此外，自浮力方法的一个关键要素需要了解可能影响太阳能生产和电池板性能的潜在生物因素。因此，本研究还将研究生物膜和其他环境因素对PV管的潜在影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to bring to market a novel self-buoyant panel that will enable floating photovoltaics (FPV) to play an important role in achieving the Nation’s clean energy goals. The Federal Solar Futures Study describes a goal to generate over 40% of the nation’s electricity using solar, which would require a 10x increase. However, this would require 10 million acres by 2050 – an area larger than New Jersey. FPV systems can directly mitigate land displacement. According to NREL, the 24,419 US bodies of water have a technical potential of over 300 GW. The barrier to scaling deployments is the cost premium of the artificial island needed to support panels, which can increase system costs by 30% compared to ground-mounted utility scale solar arrays. The proposed solar panel design floats uses sealed photovoltaic (PV) glass tubes and no mounting hardware to solve the cost premium. Further, the PV tubes track the sun like 1-axis trackers, but with no moving parts, to increase energy yield by 10-20%. These systems could become the cheapest form of solar. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to address the key barriers to commercialization of the proposed FPV technology. Realizing the market and impact potential of this solution requires retiring multiple risks and achieving several milestones that are address in the proposed project. The company will refine and test functional tubes that are hermetically sealed at the ends to maintain floatation and protect the solar cells. The company will team with one of the premier US marine renewable energy research institutions, to study multiple aspects of the design. First, the project will focus on a robust structural system that meets operating requirements. The project will research using simulation tools the mooring system and panel configurations needed for a range of wave and wind conditions. Additionally, a key element of a self-buoyant approach requires knowledge of potential biological factors that can impact solar production and panel performance. Accordingly, this investigation will also study the potential effects of biofilms and other environmental factors on PV tubes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.