Effect of wave-induced motion on the energy harvesting performance of a floating solar-powered AUV

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel concept of a solar-powered autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) featuring a foldable solar wing panel. The design enables energy harvesting during surface floating operations. We investigate the time-varying energy harvesting characteristics due to the combined effects of wave-induced motion and submergence depth. A real-time power calculation model based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solutions is established, and its accuracy is verified using sea trials. The results show that the AUV oscillates periodically around an equilibrium pitch angle of approximately 5°, with more than half of the wing panel surface area remaining submerged throughout the motion. Increasing the span length helps suppress the pitch motion of the AUV and reduces the submerged proportion of the wing panel, thus enhancing the power output per unit area. Adverse sea states lead to a decrease in average power output, with instantaneous power reduced during 70% of the motion response cycle, while the peak power increases. This is mainly attributable to the greater proportion of wing panel area exposed above water and the reduced solar radiation loss caused by wing panel inclination from the smaller AUV pitch angle. This work can provide theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of solar-powered AUVs.