Claims:1. A buoyant cable comprising:
an electrical conductor cable comprising:
a conducting core; and
an insulating jacket surrounding said conducting core;
an elongated hollow tubular body circumscribing said electrical conductor cable;
a plurality of spacers disposed between said electrical conductor cable and said elongated hollow tubular body to maintain uniform spacing therebetween; and
bush/sealing elements disposed at operative ends of said elongated hollow tubular body to seal the interior of said elongated hollow tubular body to prevent ingress of liquid/water thereinto, wherein said bush/sealing elements have openings configured to facilitate passage of said electrical conductor cable.
2. The buoyant cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bush/sealing elements are bits of non-water absorbing super light material with water absorption coefficient <1% and density between 10 to 30 kg/m3.
3. The buoyant cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said space between said electrical conductor cable and said elongated hollow tubular body is filled with bits of non-water absorbing super light material with water absorption coefficient <1% and density between 10 to 30 kg/m3.
4. The buoyant cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elongated hollow tubular body is of a thermoplastic polymer.
5. The buoyant cable as claimed in claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC), glass reinforced plastics (GRP), and fiber reinforced plastics (FRP).
6. The buoyant cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elongated hollow tubular body has a cross section selected from a group consisting of a circle, a square, a triangle, a rectangle, and any combination thereof.
7. The buoyant cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said buoyant cable is used for transmission of electrical power from a solar pod to a load via a power conditioning unit that is placed on said solar pod, which results in reduced direct current lossses.
8. A solar power generation and transmission system, said system comprising:
a floating structure;
a plurality of solar panels disposed on said floating structure;
a power conditioning unit disposed on said floating structure, said power conditioning unit configured to convert direct current generated by said plurality of solar panels into an alternating current; and
the buoyant electrical cable of claim 1 connected to said power conditioning system at one end and to a load at another; wherein said system results in reduction of direct current transmission losses. , Description:FIELD
The present invention relates to the field a buoyant cable and a solar power generation and transmission system comprising the buoyant cable.
BACKGROUND
Conventional power generation plants, e.g., hydroelectric power plants and thermal power plants are being augmented by solar power generation systems. In order to generate the peaking power which will supplement the conventional power generation plants, a large number of photovoltaic panels are required to be installed on very large area. In order to meet the demand of such large power generation and scarcity of land, the applicant has developed an unique system for floating solar panels on water bodies. Generally, the power generated by the floating solar panels elsewhere in the world is supplied to load located on land / water body or connected to grid, typically by using conventional submarine cables or cables tied over floats. Installations of submarine cables require complex mechanism and are typically very expensive. The arrangement with DC cables carried on floats is both expensive and has increased loss thereby drop in overall efficiency.
Therefore, there is a need felt for an arrangement for using power evacuation system using power conditioning unit and electrical cable that can be connected with the floating photovoltaic panels and is less expensive and causes lower losses than conventional submarine cables as well as DC cable tied to floats for transmission purposes.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present invention, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows.
It is an object of the present invention to mitigate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for electrical cable that can be used with floating photovoltaic panels.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical cable that can be easily replaced as compared to the conventional submarine cables.
Still another object of the present invention is to reduce the direct current losses.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
SUMMARY
The present invention envisages DC loss reduction through use of power conditioning unit on the same solar pod and a buoyant cable. The buoyant cable comprises an electrical cable which includes a conducting core and an insulating jacket surrounding the conducting core. The elongated hollow tubular body circumscribes the electrical conductor cable. A plurality of spacers is disposed in between the elongated hollow tubular body and the electrical conductor cable. Bush/sealing elements are disposed at operative ends of the elongated hollow tubular body to seal the interior of the elongated hollow tubular body to prevent ingress of liquid/water thereinto, wherein the bush/sealing elements have openings configured to facilitate passage of the electrical conductor cable. Typically, the bush/sealing elements are bits of non-water absorbing super light material with water absorption coefficient <1% and density between 10 to 30 kg/m3.
In another embodiment, the space between the electrical conductor cable and the elongated hollow tubular body is filled with bits of non-water absorbing super light material with water absorption coefficient <1% and density between 10 to 30 kg/m3.
In yet another embodiment, the elongated hollow tubular body is of a thermoplastic polymer. The thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC), glass reinforced plastics (GRP), and fiber reinforced plastics (FRP).
In an embodiment, the elongated hollow tubular body has a cross section selected from a group consisting of a circle, a square, a triangle, a rectangle, and any combination thereof.
In an embodiment, the buoyant cable is used for transmission of electrical power from a solar pod to a load via a power conditioning unit placed on the solar pod that results in reduced DC loss.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The buoyant cable of the present invention will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a buoyant cable in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a power transmission system which uses the buoyant cable of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention envisages a buoyant cable that floats on water body and transmits the power generated by a floating solar pod to a load located on land / water body or connected to grid. A buoyant cable of the present invention includes a hollow tubular body which is configured to float on the water body.
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of an electrically conductive buoyant cable 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The buoyant cable 100 comprises an electrical conductor cable 102, an elongated hollow tubular body 104 and a plurality of spacers 106.
In an embodiment, the electrical conductor cable 102 comprises a conducting core (not shown in the figure) and an insulating jacket (not shown in the figure) that surrounds the conductor core. The elongated hollow tubular body 104 circumscribes the electrical conductor cable 102. The plurality of spacers 106 are disposed in between the elongated hollow tubular body 104 and the electrical conductor cable 102. The plurality of spacers 106 maintains uniform spacing between the elongated hollow tubular body 104 and the electrical conductor cable 102.
In another embodiment, bush/sealing elements with an opening configured thereon are disposed at operative ends of the elongated hollow tubular body 104. The opening configured on the bush/sealing elements is adapted to receive the electrical conductor cable 102. The bush/sealing element also seals the interior of the elongated hollow tubular body 104 to prevent ingress of liquid. In an embodiment, the bush/sealing elements are bits of non-water absorbing super light material with water absorption coefficient <1% and density between 10 to 30 kg/m3.
In yet another embodiment, the uniform spacing between the elongated hollow tubular body 104 and the electrical conductor cable 102 is filled with bits of non-water absorbing super light material with water absorption coefficient <1% and density between 10 to 30 kg/m3. These bits facilitate better buoyancy to the buoyant cable 100, thereby improving the stability of the buoyant cable 100.
In still another embodiment, the elongated hollow tubular body 104 of the buoyant cable 100 is made of a thermoplastic polymer. The thermoplastic polymer can be selected from the group comprising un-plasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC), glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP).
In an embodiment, the elongated hollow tubular body 104 has a cross section selected from a group consisting of a circle, a square, a triangle, a rectangle, and any combination thereof.
Figure 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a solar power generation and transmission system 200 which uses the buoyant cable 100. The buoyant cable 100 facilitates the transmission of electrical power from a floating solar pod 202 to a load 204 located on land, water or can be connected to the nearest grid in absence of dedicated load. The solar pod 202 comprises a floating structure and a plurality of solar panels which are disposed on the floating structure.
In an embodiment, the floating solar pod 202 comprises a power conditioning unit (not shown in figures) disposed over a buoyant support structure and electrically coupled to the plurality of solar photovoltaic panels. The power conditioning unit converts a direct current generated by the plurality of solar photovoltaic panels into an alternating current. In an embodiment, an inverter (not shown in figures) is used as the power conditioning unit. The buoyant cable is used for transmission of electrical power from the solar pod to the load 204 via the power conditioning unit placed on said solar pod 202, thereby resulting in reduced DC loss.
In an embodiment, the remotely located load 204 is a power storage facility, domestic load, street lights, electrically operated machineries, or any combination thereof.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The electrically conductive buoyant cable of the present invention described herein above has several technical advantages including but not limited to the realization of a buoyant cable that:
 significantly reduces the DC loss due to the placement of the power conditioning unit on the solar pod;
 simplifies the fault isolation;
 can be easily retrofitted with floating photovoltaic panels; and
 is easily replaceable as compared to the conventional submarine cables.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the invention to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the invention as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the invention, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the invention herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.