Design Methods of Underwater Grounding Electrode Array by Considering Inter-Electrode Interference for Floating PVs

Abstract

An optimal design method is proposed in this paper to improve the safety and price competitiveness of floating photovoltaic (PV) systems. From the standards for grounding by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60364, the Electrical Equipment Technology Standards (EETS) are set up for the grounding resistance to be less than or equal to 10 Ω for high voltage (above 750 V DC) and extra high voltage (above 7000 V) systems. In order to satisfy this criterion, a parallel connection of grounding electrodes is essential in the system. Furthermore, inter-electrode interference should be considered to reflect the resistance increase due to the potential increase between electrodes. Therefore, in this study, the parallel grounding resistance according to the distance and number of electrodes, as well as the arrangement method were theoretically predicted and compared with the measured values. For the first time, the design of grounding electrodes has been applied to real floating PV systems and is expected to satisfy EETS.

Emerging OSH Issues in Installation and Maintenance of Floating Solar Photovoltaic Projects and Their Link with Sustainable Development Goals

“… 59 , 63 , 65 , 68 , 72 Little focus has been given to the design interventions in the FSPV sector from the dimension of OSH of the workers who are the most vulnerable and exposed to a complex combination of risks except for one study which focuses on electrical safety. 66 The papers in this review reveal that most of the focus has been given to the OSH aspects of the small-scale roof-top solar PV projects and not so much to utility-scale land mounted or floating solar PV projects. The Oregon Solar Industries Association (OSEIA) has developed a detailed manual to ensure construction safety.…”

“…Electrical safety is an important aspect of FSPV installations because of the proximity of electrical equipment to water and the interface with the workers. Bhang et al 66 propose a design solution for underwater grounding for FSPV projects based on the lowest water temperature. Such design interventions are expected to ultimately protect workers against electrocution, especially when electrical risks are unseen.…”

Optimal Design of Bifacial Floating Photovoltaic System With Different Installation Azimuths

“…𝑆 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟−𝑑𝑖𝑟. =𝑆 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 − 𝑆 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 (10) Using ( 7), (9), and (10), the power of the bifacial PV module can be expressed as follows.…”

“…Particularly in Korea, 2.1 GW FPVs-the largest in the world-are scheduled to be installed in Saemangeum [6]. FPVs improve the efficiency owing to the cooling effect and efficient use of land [7]- [9]. Until recently, the installation cost of FPVs was high because of the high cost of buoyancy units for the PV modules.…”

Thin Conductor Modelling Combined with a Hybrid Numerical Method to Evaluate the Transferred Potential from Isolated Grounding System

“…TPs from an active GS to a passive one or to metallic components in the proximity of the GS always occur, except for in a few cases [8]. Very often, metal rails are present in large substations and power plants to facilitate the transportation of transformer equipment and fuel.…”