A research paper focused on the analysis of solar power trials on-board the high speed RoRo vessel Blue Star Delos. The paper, published in the Journal of Marine Engineering and Technology, notes that a low-voltage marine solar power system is able to ensure a continuous stable supply of power.
In 2014 the high speed car and passenger ferry, Blue Star Delos became the first ship of this type to be installed with a marine solar power system. This system was installed as a project to evaluate the use of renewable energy on merchant ships.
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The photovoltaic power generating system (PV System) on Delos is designated as a marine solar power system. This designation is applied since the system elements were chosen due to their suitability for use on ships. The marine-grade PV panels are designed to withstand exposure to saltwater as is all external wiring. The marine solar power array or PV array consists of 16 thin PV panels (Table 3) made using polycrystalline cells.
The trials on Blue Star Delos demonstrated that under operational conditions at sea, a low-voltage marine solar power system using thin panel PV technology and energy storage can provide a continuous stable supply of power to a DC load.
Moreover, the power output of the system met or surpassed design expectations and the performance of the PV panels were not significantly impacted because of the build-up of dirt and salt. Nevertheless, analysis of data over a longer period needs to be carried out and the possibility to improve the power yield by adjusting system parameters requires investigation.
In addition, the impact of the marine environment on the solar panels and aluminium frames requires further study including determining how frequently the marine solar panel array should be washed and maintained.
See more in the PDF below
