On April 9th, with the successful connection of the last anchor chain, CHN Energy's first offshore floating photovoltaic “Fengguang Tongchang”(literally means “Wind Power Plus Photovoltaic Power”) experimental project passed the test, which provided valuable technical and experiential accumulation for the development of deep-sea offshore photovoltaic industries.
The project site under experiment
The project site, situated to the east of the offshore booster station at Guohua Investment's Dongtai Phase IV offshore wind farm, contains two floating body modules, each with a capacity of 50 kW. The modules employ a semi-submersible steel frame and buoy composite structure, with each module connected by four mooring anchor chains to four concrete gravity anchor blocks. The project is 42 kilometers from shore, with water depths exceeding 10 meters, maximum wave heights of 7 meters, wind speeds up to 36 meters per second, and tidal variations over 9 meters. Among CHN Energy’s offshore floating photovoltaic projects, this project features the longest offshore distance, highest waves, largest tidal range, and most challenging maritime environment.
Since 2022, Guohua Investment actively explores the key technology of offshore photovoltaic, undertaking empirical studies of kilowatt-scale floating photovoltaic technology, and completing challenges and research on floating photovoltaic buoy structural performance, mooring systems, electrical systems, and overall structural safety optimization. The design and construction were successfully completed after overcoming technical challenges such as the overall and structural design verification of the floating photovoltaic frame and buoy system, and the design of mooring systems for large tidal differences.
