Motion stability criteria of a worker on floating solar modules

• Main Author: Lee, Hao Wei
• Other Authors: Law Wing-Keung, Adrian
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Engineering::Environmental engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/158445
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Singapore has pledged to quadruple solar energy deployment to 1.5 gigawatt-peak by 2025, with aims to do so by increasing R&D in this industry. Given the land scarcity faced by the small island nation, harnessing solar energy through on-land solar farms has proved to be an uphill task. As such, two floating solar farms have been test-bedded and built across various water bodies in the past two years. One of these include the newer offshore floating solar farm recently moored in place off the coast of Woodlands, in the Straits of Johor. The solar farm relies on interconnecting floating modules designed to support the photovoltaic (PV) panels via PV floaters, and human access via walkway floaters. Although previous pilot studies have substantiated the commercial viability and structural performance of this floating module design, the human safety aspect related to operations and maintenance (O&M) atop the floaters have not yet been explored. Essentially, workers fulfilling their duties face the risk of injury from losing balance due to oscillating motions of the floating walkway modules, especially in the face of open water conditions. This study investigates the various motions experienced by workers on the walkway modules, and through experiments with various human subjects and other factors, proposes possible limiting motion parameters that are required for human stability. The study also offers brief suggestions on the variables to consider including in the safety guidelines of a coastal floating solar farm.