China Works on Wave-Resistant Offshore Solar Platforms

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Offshore wind turbines are becoming the norm for obvious reasons. To begin with, they don’t take up precious land space but also utilize stronger and more consistent winds. Now, the Chinese government wants to do the same with photovoltaics, i.e., solar panels. China already installed its first offshore photovoltaic platform called “Yellow Sea No. 1,” conveniently placed near one of the country’s offshore wind farms. A similar powerplant could have a big advantage, as it would utilize two of the most popular renewable energy sources.

For now, Yellow Sea No. 1 will only be used for research, though. The Chinese government wants to test the feasibility of offshore solar farms, and it will do that in the southern Shandong Peninsula, near a wind farm operated by the Huaneng Group. During the research, the team will test the platform’s resistance to wind and waves, but also its yield efficiency, durability, and maintenance requirements.

Yellow Sea No. 1 is a powerful setup, consisting of 434 photovoltaic panels, stretching an area of 1,624 m2 (17,500 sq ft). However, because it’s now only used for research purposes, the platform comprises three different PV technologies and four capacities. The platform will be buoyant, mounted on 64 floats, which is an approach also often seen in wind turbines. Even so, the Yellow Sea No. 1 is connected with cables to the seabed.

Still, the biggest obstacle in employing offshore photovoltaics has been salt crystals. These will quickly start forming over the solar panels, significantly reducing their efficiency. For that reason, the Yellow Sea No. 1 stands 9 meters (29.5 ft) over the sea’s surface, which according to the engineers, should help it withstand waves of up to 10 meters (33 ft). In the offshore area where the offshore photovoltaics will be installed, project engineer Bi Cheng said that higher waves than these weren’t seen in over 50 years, so the 9-meter height should be sufficient.

Ashton Henning