Interest in understanding the structural behavior of marine floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems has grown significantly over the last decade. Numerical models are the preferred approach for understanding FPV responses under environmental loads, but they require validation. Several methods are commonly used to validate numerical results, such as comparison with analytical, field data, and experimental data. The use of analytical approaches to validate numerical results can sometimes be inaccurate due to the complexity of the problems; nevertheless, field data is commonly restricted and frequently unavailable for numerical model validation. Thus, physical models play a crucial role in validating numerical results. This study focuses on the two-dimensional (2-D) modeling process and sensors development for an FPV system with taut mooring, aiming to investigate wave-structure interaction while considering hydroelastic effects. The model is developed in accordance with the Froude-Cauchy similitude law and is made from composite materials to capture structural stiffness. Structural motions, specifically heave and pitch, are measured using an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), while strain gauges measure structural stress and mooring tension. The sensors provide precise measurements for strain and pitch; however, heave, as a result of time-domain integration from acceleration, requires further validation. The motion responses of the model align with reference results.

In this study, a formulation for the second-order difference-frequency wave load in the presence of steady uniform current (or forward speed) is presented, and a practical approximate approach is proposed. A potential flow-based solution is formulated to include terms up to the second-order in wave slope and first-order in current speed. In the uniform-flow approximation, the body disturbed and ship-generated steady flows are neglected, assuming slender bodies and low uniform flow speed. The free-surface integral is not included in evaluating the difference-frequency force quadratic transfer function (QTF) considering its relatively unimportant contribution compared to other terms, which significantly reduces the cost of the computational implementation. The present numerical results compare well against published experimental and numerical result. The importance of directly calculating off-diagonal terms of the QTF in the presence of uniform flow is investigated by comparing the present model with other existing approximation methods and with cases without uniform flow.

In this study, the hydrodynamic responses of Membrane Floats Floating PV System in offshore environments were studied. The structure is modelled based on previous experiment of multi-tori structure by Jonathan Winsvold in 2018. The experiment significantly simplifies a complex membrane structure into sets of tori and truss structures, which were much easier to handle in both experiment and in numerical settings. Just like the Winsvold (2018) experiment, the continuous membrane is modelled as five discrete elastic tori that are connected by elastic trusses in the radial direction. The elastic truss elements have negligible inertia properties and their tension are configured to mimic the actual membrane stiffness. The experimental scale numerical model is validated against the experiment and theoretical results from literatures. Then, the full-scale structural diameter of 50 metres and torus cross-sectional diameter of 1.6 metres is modelled in the numerical setup. In this study, the load from Solar PV Modules were inserted as additional mass per length on the tori to better represent the real-world condition. To obtain better understanding of the hydrodynamic behavior of the membrane floats, two configurations of wire rope mooring systems and various membrane pre-tensions were simulated in the time domain. The mooring response and elastic behavior of the structure under various environmental load such as current and wave were also investigated. The wind loading is neglected in the present study, considering that the FPV has almost zero elevation. The sensitivity study results were then presented in the frequency domain. The simulation results suggested that mooring configuration significantly affected the structural response of the outermost part of the membrane, while has little to no effect on the innermost part of the membrane. The membrane’s sensitivity to the change in elongation (i.e., pre-tension) shows that the model were also able to capture the increase of the membrane’s apparent bending stiffness. Based on the results, the model may be used to provide further insight to improve future design of the membrane floats floating PV systems. The approach also opens up the possibilities of using a typical, more accessible, off-the-shelf rod or beam element-based FEM software to be used for simulating membrane type FPVs.

This study experimentally investigates the hydrodynamic response of a modular floating photovoltaic (FPV) system, where individual floaters behave as rigid bodies, and global responses are governed by connector configurations (fixed and flexible connectors) under regular waves. The effects of wave period, water depth, and bottom profile variation are examined. To represent hydroelasticity effects, two different models were developed: a fully rigidly connected array and a hybrid system combining flexible and rigid connectors. The results revealed that flexible connectors reduce global load transfer for incoming waves perpendicular to their rotational axis but introduce higher variability in heave and pitch, whereas rigid connectors produce more coherent motion with higher mean tension. Heave response is primarily governed by resonance and depth-dependent effects. In contrast, pitch response is driven by wave steepness, where larger surface slopes induce stronger differential loading. Bottom profile variation further increases spatial non-uniformity in both responses. Taut mooring systems induce overwash that may affect measurements, highlighting the need to separate mooring and structural models. Although based on a two-dimensional setup, the results provide qualitative insights, supporting further coupled experimental and numerical analyses.