Predictive Modeling of Solar Insolation in the Marine Environment for Solar Power System Applications

We aim to develop analytic tools and instruments to improve performance predictions for photovoltaic power systems on buoys. Using these capabilities, we can design more powerful and reliable power systems and provide NDBC more power to operate offshore data buoys and serve the Nation with enhanced observations of the marine environment. Present day buoy power systems are feasible because they use redundant PV panels spread around a full 360-degree azimuth; the dynamics of buoy motions and solar energy geometry have not been integrated in a single predictive performance model. In Phase I we will compile and analyze existing maritime solar resource data sets and integrate buoy motion and solar resource models; in Phase II we will develop instrumentation and experiments to validate models, and test new PV power system designs. This work is key to producing more energy for data acquisition, processing, and telemetry for future buoy instrumentation payloads.