Automated Design for Boosting Offshore

Photovoltaic (PV) Performance

S. M. Al-Dhaheri1, L. A. Lamont2*, L. El-Chaar3*, O. A. Al-Ameri1
IEEE-Student Member1, IEEE Member2, IEEE Senior Member3
Electrical Engineering Department
Petroleum Institute,
P.O. Box: 2533, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Abstract: - This paper presents a novel automatic cleaning device energy. The earth’s northern latitudes are tilted toward the sun
used to enhance the output power of PV modules especially for from June to August, which brings summer to the northern
offshore applications where efficiency and reliability are critical hemisphere Fig. 1. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) located
issues. The design described has also the capability of repelling at latitude of 24.43°N and longitude 54.45°E is characterized
birds from approaching near the PV systems, nesting and therefore
preventing bird droppings. The system is powered and controlled by
by its high global radiation. Therefore, the UAE offers greater
means of a programmable logic controller (PLC) which has the amounts of sunlight, averaging at about eight hours per day in
ability of program upgrading and low power consumption. winter, while the summer figure reaches as high as eleven
hours a day. Even though this region is well known for its
rich supply of oil and gas, integrating a solar energy source
I. INTRODUCTION such as PV has become an acceptable energy technology for
the future. Such technology can be deployed in several
Energy is the life bread of modern society. All of the applications but one of the main UAE’s interests is in its
earth’s energy comes from the sun. Solar energy shows up incorporation in the offshore oil industry.
directly as sunlight, which is harvested by panels that either
creates heat (solar thermal energy) or electricity
(Photovoltaics). Solar thermal uses the concept of a heating
engine as it collects solar radiations and transforms it into
useful heat. The second form, Photovoltaics (PV), directly
converts sunlight into electricity using PV modules. The latter
are used as power generators in power stations, buildings and
in remote areas [1]. Due to the location of interest in this
paper PV panels will be considered.

PV modules are made of small solar cells that represent

the fundamental power conversion unit of a Photovoltaic
system. They consist of a semi-conductor material (usually
silicon) having p-n junctions. When light particles, called
photons, fall within the p-n junction, they transfer their energy
to some of the electrons in the material which then creates an
electron flow, thus current. However, to produce power, the
PV cell must generate a voltage as well. This voltage is
provided by the internal electric field at the junction.
Photovoltaic systems offer substantial advantages over Fig. 1: The sun's path throughout the year-northern latitudes [2]
common power sources due to their reliability, durability, low
maintenance cost, no fuel cost, modularity, safety and
independence. However, they have some disadvantages II. OFFSHORE PLATFORM
including high initial cost, variability of available solar
radiation, efficiency improvement and energy storage. Offshore platforms have been developed over the years to
extract oil and gas in different sea structures. However, the
Solar radiation both in magnitude and structure depends supply of energy in offshore and remote areas is considered to
on the geographical location. However, this radiation, received be a major issue due to the high costs of building, transporting
at the earth surface, is subject to variations caused by material/manpower or extending a complicated infrastructure.
atmospheric attenuation such as air molecules, water vapor Therefore, many countries tend to use the conventional
and dust in the atmosphere. The earth’s distance from the sun systems in combination with renewable energy systems since
and the earth’s tilt also affect the amount of available solar

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978-1-4244-6547-7/10/$26.00 © 2010 IEEE
it is considered to be cost-effective compared to only using
conventional systems (Fig. 2) [3].
independent valve timing. This type of valve control system
controls the opening and closing times and lifting the amount
of each intake and exhaust valve with independent actuators
on each valve. Such technologies are very critical to the oil
and gas industry hence it is important to ensure a constant and
efficient power supply.

III. ISSUES ENCOUNTERED OFFSHORE

Due to climate and environmental issues the PV systems

are encountering several dilemmas which can be characterized
into two main issues: - dust and birds. Onshore, dust in the
UAE has been proven to be a major problem for PV [7]
opposed to bird droppings and shading which is mainly
affecting offshore PV systems. Studies have shown that
offshore platforms appear to be a stopover habitat for bird
species [8]. The birds that use this as their habitation often not
only leave behind nests they built but also droppings on the
cells (Fig. 3). Scientifically it has been shown that bird
droppings contain many fungal agents, bacteria and
Fig. 2: Hybrid offshore platform [4] ectoparasites which can potential cause diseases in addition to
slipping problems therefore not only causing problems for the
An offshore platform (often referred to as an oil PV but for humans [9].
platform or oil rig) is a large structure used to extract oil and
natural gas. Depending on the circumstances, the platform
may be fixed to the ocean floor, may consist of an artificial
island or may float. A typical platform may have around
thirty wellheads connected to it and directional drilling allows
reservoirs to be accessed at both different depths and at remote
positions up to 5 miles from the platform. Offshore platforms
have been developed over the years from traditionally shallow
water structures to modern deep sea structures. In addition
design of future platforms will integrate renewable energy
technology to support their ever growing power demand.
Currently, available structures in the UAE deploy PV panels
to power up some of the required technologies such as
telemetry and valve control.

Telemetry, a tool that allows remote measurements and

reports to be sent to the system operator located on the
offshore platform, has become essential for water and oil
management applications, including fluid's quality and stream
Fig. 3: Bird nests and droppings on solar panels
gauging functions. Major applications include AMR
(automatic meter reading), groundwater and oil monitoring,
All of these issues create a shade that prevents the sun
leak detection in distribution pipelines and equipment
radiation from reaching solar cells. Shading obstructions can
surveillance [5]. Having this data available in almost real time
be defined as soft shading and hard shading. Soft shading,
allows quick reactions to occurrences in the field. One of the
such as roof vents, reduces the amount of light reaching the
applications for the telemetry system is in the control valves
PV module, hence diminishes the cell’s output power. Hard
operation. Control valves [6] are used to control conditions
shading, though due to bird droppings, stops the light from
such as flow, pressure, temperature and liquid level by fully or
reaching the cell which might prevent the module converting
partially opening or closing in response to received signals.
any energy (Fig. 4). Moreover, bird droppings contain high
These signals are received from controllers that compare a
corrosive uric acid which can cause damage to metals and
"set-point" to a "process variable" whose value is provided
other materials if it sits on them for an extended duration [9].
by sensors that monitor the changes in such conditions. The
opening or closing of control valves is done by means
of electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic systems. An electrical
valve control system controls each valve with actuators for

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 Fig. 4: Dirty solar panels [10]

One method of testing and monitoring the performance of Fig. 6: Manual cleaning system [13]
these panels on a daily basis is to plot its I-V and P-V
characteristics. I-V and P-V characteristics of clean and dirty
In order to reduce the frequency and cost of cleaning required
shaded panels are shown in Fig. 5.
it is always advisable to find a solution to minimize the
amount of dirt on the panel. This is achieved by discouraging
birds from nesting and landing on the PV panels. The
simplest solution for frightening birds is by covering the solar
panel with fishing wire. Unfortunately on the solar systems on
wellhead towers this is not possible as this solution will not
only cause soft shading but will also cause a safety issue with
access for helicopters. Another method used form deterring
birds form perching on PV panels or other structural surfaces
is by applying a non-toxic composition that might trigger a
physiological aversion mechanism in birds by a visual cue
[14]. However, these solutions are environmentally unfriendly
or dangerous for implementation on wellhead towers hence
the developed solution presented in the following sections.

Table 1: Comparison of a selection of Cleaning Systems

Fig. 5: I-V and P-V characteristics of clean and dirty panels [7]
Cleaning System Advantage Disadvantage
Manual Cleaning only when Cost varies depending on
It is shown in the above figure that there is an obvious required location and manpower
Time consuming and
drop in the performance which continues to increase unless inefficient
preventative measures such as regular cleaning and/or bird Transparent Shield No mechanical movement Requires high voltage for good
deterring are implemented. [11] to scratch the protective performance.
surface Causes shading when used on a
PV panel
Cannot be directly powered
from the panel
IV. EXISTING SOLUTIONS Electro-Dynamics Efficient and can be used Requires 3-phase high voltage
Screen (EDS-PV) [15] to remove dust from a amplifier which is a problem in
There are several existing solutions to clean the dirt on variety of surfaces remote locations
Integrated Electro Efficient with and without Requires a Digital Signal
solar panels. One of the solutions that exist is a transparent Dynamic Screens [16] use of external power Controller (DSC) which is
shield placed on the solar panel [11]. This shield is connected supply costly
Requires switching devices for
to an electronic circuit which is powered by a single phase AC converters hence more
supply producing electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic maintenance is required
wave will repel the dirt particles that are on the surface of the Standing Wave Electric It is highly efficient at Removal is difficult when gas
Curtain [17] high gas pressure pressure is below a certain
solar panel. Moreover, a microprocessor called "solar-wash" is limit
used to control the washing process of the panel [12]. Another Dust removal capability
depends on the size of the
solution is placing an Electro-Dynamics Screen (EDS) on the particles deposited
solar panel, which is composed of a series of parallel Solarbrush PV Robot Automated robot Heavy weight and has a high
[18] initial cost
electrodes on a substrate. If none of these solutions were Requires human interference
available, solar panels are cleaned manually by spraying water CleanAnt Self regulating and Heavy and large
as shown in Fig. 6. The advantages and disadvantages of a [19] flexible uninterrupted Requires external source for
cleaning operations charging
selection of currently available cleaning methods are shown in
Table 1.

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 V. BIRD DETERRING AND CLEANING SYSTEM
Start Stop System is
System System ON

The designed and built Programmable Logic Controller

(PLC) based cleaning and deterring mechanism is described
by the system flowchart (Fig. 7) and shown in the system System
is ON
ladder diagram (Fig. 8).

System is Limit Limit 24 Hr Motor up

ON Switch 1 Switch 2 Timing is ON

Motor up Enabled
is ON

System is Limit Limit 24 Hr Motor down

ON Switch 2 Switch 1 Timing is ON

Motor down Enabled

is ON

Empty Led
Tank Sensor Sign is ON

Limit Switch 1 Count

Up
Counting Up
Max. 3 times
Done
Counting up 3 times
Enabled
24 hrs
Timer
Done
Done

24 Hr Timing Reset 24 hrs Timer

RES

Done

Stop System

Fig. 8: System ladder diagram

This device is primarily initiated by a startup button but it is

Fig. 7: System flowchart
then fully automated by the PLC (Fig. 9).

4

a)
b)
Fig. 9: a) The PLC cleaning system, b) The assembly of the cleaning system
After turning on the system, the program scans the whole
ladder diagram searching which of the rungs is true.
Obviously the lower limit switch (limit switch 1) will be on
because initially the brush is placed on the lower end to
prevent shading thus touching the lower limit switch in the
stationary mode. After detecting that mode, the rung will be
true. The internal PLC program then switches on a relay
connected to motor 1 which results in the circuit closing
between the battery and this motor, therefore rotating the
pulley in clockwise direction. Thus chain 5 alongside brush 6
move upward and concurrently string 4, attached to the brush,
causes the brush to rotate until it hits the upper limit switch.
This rotation is achieved by a string around a pulley whose
rotation direction is opposite to the movement of the brush,
hence counter clockwise. In the same manner, the PLC will
reverse the polarity of motor 1 and the brush will move
downward until it hits the lower limit switch. All of this
process will repeat twice until the lower limit switch is
touched three times which will be detected by the counter that
is added to the program. This will cause the timer of the PLC
to turn on, and switch all the parts that are related to the
program off until the timer is initiated, ensuring the system
5
operates once every 24 hours. Therefore, the timer will reset
the counter to zero in order to restart the process again. Fig. 10
highlights the main electrical components of the system.
Fig. 10: Cleaning system’s main components
The mechanism described previously is not only used for
cleaning but a bird deterring subsystem is integrated and
totally independent of the PLC programming. The bird
deterring depends on the sensor which is attached to a siren.
As the sensor detects an object on the solar panel, the internal
relay inside the sensor will connect the circuit and the siren
will turn on to scare the bird. The advantage of using the siren
lies in the fact that it gives different frequencies for the output
sound. Hence, birds will not get used to the sound as they
usually do and it will always scare them away. The reasoning
for this is when the birds adapt to a sound the system becomes
invalid therefore it will not deter the birds as specified.
VI. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this paper highlighted and illustrated an
offshore automated cleaning system that boosts the output
power performance of PV which is initially reduced by the
effect of shadowing and shading. The model was built and
tested. The main component of this system is the PLC which
controls and powers both the mechanical and electrical parts
of the design. PLC program is an efficient method to make
the system fully automated without any human interface
except for initial activation and maintenance issues. The
system is successful in removing dust and bird droppings on
the PV panels which led the PV to have better output hence,
more efficient and more reliable for offshore application.
 VII. REFERENCES
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VIII. BIOGRAPHY
Saif M. AlDhaheri undergraduate Electrical Engineer
senior student in the Petroleum Institute (PI), Abu-
Dhabi, UAE. During his studies he was the Vice
President of PI Student Council and the Vice President
of PI IEEE student chapter. Moreover, he was first
mentor in STEPS II program for student helping them in
Engineering design and Programming. His expertise goes under the Power
Systems analysis and the Programmable Logic Controllers for industrial
automation. He published a saving energy bulbs paper in the Energy 2030
Conference. He won the third place for the senior design project category in
the IEEE UAE student day competition. His interests are in engineering
design, renewable energy sources and Programmable Logic Controller.
Lisa Lamont obtained BEng (Hons) degree from
University of Ulster, UK in 2001 and PhD degree from
the University of Ulster, UK in 2005. Since September
2005 she has been employed as an Assistant Professor
with the Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Her
research interests lie in the areas of Control Systems,
Controller Design, Multivariable Analysis, System Modeling and Simulation,
Stability Studies, HVDC and VSC, Damping Vibrations in Oil Platforms,
Solar Energy, Non-Linear System Identification and Fault Detection and
Diagnosis.
Lana El Chaar graduated from the University of
Minnesota, USA with BS, MS and PH.D. in Electrical
Engineering. During her studies she worked as a Design
Engineer at Schott Power Inc. while her main work was to
develop an efficient battery charger for the electric
vehicle. In 1997 she moved to Lebanon where she became
an assistant professor at Beirut Arab University and a
Lecturer at the American University in Lebanon. In 2002, she joined the
Business and Computer University College as the Chair of the
Communication Engineering Department and became a senior Lecturer at the
American University in Beirut. In August 2005, she joined the Electrical
Engineering Department as Assistant Professor at the American University in
Dubai, UAE. In July 2007, she joined The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi,
UAE. Her research interests lie in the areas of power electronics in particular
rectification and power quality. In addition, her recent research has been
mostly concentrated in renewable energy in general and photovoltaic and
wind energy in particular.
Osama A. Al Ameri is an honors undergraduate
Electrical Engineering junior student in the Petroleum
Institute in Abu Dhabi, UAE. After developing a
personal interest in renewable energy he has started to
work with the renewable energy research group in his
department to develop this topic of interest in the UAE. He won the second
place in the Made-in-UAE project in category in the 2009 IEEE UAE student
day competition. His interests are in engineering design and renewable
energy.