Estimating on-Board Power Generation by Solar Photo-Voltaic Array Integrated Lighter-Than-Air Platform Under Variable Pitching Conditions

Abstract

Abstract Sustainable power generation on solar photovoltaic (SPV) modules integrated lighter-than-air platforms (LTAPs) is a daunting task since they are exposed to variable environmental factors such as wind, ambient air pressure, and incident solar insolation. Among these factors, the wind plays a significant role in destabilizing the system from its equilibrium position and affects the power generation. In this paper, we proposed a methodology for estimating the dynamics of power generation due to the destabilized pitching under different wind vectors. An alternative to the conventional fluid–structure interaction, a semi-analytical methodology has been formulated, utilizing commercial ansys fluent software, to estimate the pitching characteristics of lighter-than-air platform (LTAP). This pitching characteristic has been mapped to the body inertial frame for investigating the incident solar insolation followed by determining the corresponding power generation. The consequences of the envelope contour function (ECF) are also incorporated while characterizing the power generation. Furthermore, this study also provides scope for the placement of the solar PV array on LTAP in order to minimize losses in generated onboard power under variable pitching conditions.