FLOATING PLATFORM FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

Abstract

The present application relates to a floating module, a floating platform assembled by multiple floating platforms, and an off-shore system assembled by multiple floating platforms for harvesting green energies in a large body of water. The floating module comprises an external frame having a plurality of side tubes for providing buoyance to the floating module; and an internal frame coupled to the external frame. In addition, the floating module has a mooring mechanism for fixing the floating module in position at sea or ocean. Methods of making the floating module and assembling the floating platform and the offshore system are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A floating module, comprising: an external frame having a plurality of side tubes for providing buoyance to the floating module; and an internal frame coupled to the external frame, wherein a facility is configured to mount on the internal frame.

2. The floating module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of side tubes are hermitically joined for preventing leakage into the external frame.

3. The floating module of claim 1, wherein the internal frame has a H-shaped configuration comprising a first bar and a second bar coupled to the external frame; and a panel coupled to the first bar and the second bar, wherein the first bar and the second bar have a same length and are configured to be parallel to each other.

4. The floating module of claim 1, further comprising: a mooring mechanism coupled to the external frame or internal frame for fixing the floating module in position.

5. The floating module of claim 4, wherein the mooring mechanism comprises at least one string coupled to the external frame at a first end; and a sinker coupled to the at least one string at a second end opposed to the first end.

6. A floating platform, comprising: at least two floating modules of claim 1, wherein the at least two floating modules are flexibly joined together.

7. The floating platform of claim 6, wherein the at least two floating modules are joined by thermoplastic welding.

8. The floating platform of claim 6, further comprising: a plurality of dampers for flexibly coupling two side tubes of adjacent floating modules, respectively.

9. The floating platform of claim 6, further comprising: at least one bumper between two of the plurality of dampers for preventing sliding of the plurality of dampers.

10. The floating platform of claim 6, wherein the floating platform is assembled by seven hexagonal floating modules that comprises one hexagonal floating module at a central position of the floating platform; and six hexagonal floating modules assembled surrounding the hexagonal floating module at the central position.

11. The floating platform of claim 6, further comprising: a mooring mechanism coupled to the floating module at the central position of the floating platform.

12. The floating platform of claim 11, wherein the mooring mechanism comprises a central sinker coupled underneath to the central floating module.

13. An offshore system for harvesting renewable energy in a large water body, comprising: a plurality of the floating platforms of claim 6, wherein the floating platforms are flexibly joined together.

14. The offshore system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of floating platforms are configured to form at least one small body of water inside the floating system communicative with the large water body.

15. The offshore system of claim 13, comprising: a plurality of solar panels mounted on the floating platforms for harvesting and converting solar energy to electrical energy.

16. The offshore system of claim 13, comprising: a plurality of wind turbines mounted on the floating platforms for harvesting and converting wind energy to electrical energy.

17. The offshore system of claim 13, further comprising: at least one combiner box for combining the electrical energy from the solar panels.

18. The offshore system of claim 17, further comprising: a central inverter for changing electricity Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC).

19. The offshore system of claim 18, further comprising: a transformer for transmitting and interconnecting the Alternative Current with a power grid.

20. The offshore system of claim 13, further comprising: a dock for loading and unloading the offshore system with a ship.

21. A method of making the floating module in the claim 1, comprising: flexibly coupling the multiple side tubes in an end-to-end configuration in sequence for forming an external frame having a hexagonal shape; and coupling an internal frame to the external frame in a H-shaped configuration.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the coupling an internal frame comprises: joining a first bar to two opposed ends of the external frame, respectively; joining a second bar to another two opposed ends of the external frame, wherein the first bar and the second bar are configured to be parallel; and joining a panel to the first bar and the second bar.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the coupling the internal frame comprises: positioning a first bar and a second bar to be substantially parallel; joining a panel to the first panel and the second panel for forming the internal frame; and joining the first bar and the second bar to two opposite ends of the external frame, respectively.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising: coupling a mooring mechanism to the external frame.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the coupling a mooring mechanism comprises: tying multiple branch strings to multiple end points of the external frame, respectively; typing the multiple branch strings to a trunk string; and coupling a sinker to the trunk string away from the multiple branch strings.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the coupling a mooring mechanism comprise: tying upper portions of multiple branch strings to multiple end points of the external frame, respectively; combining lower portions of the multiple branch strings into a trunk string; and coupling a sinker to the trunk string away from the upper portions of the multiple branch strings.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the coupling a mooring mechanism further comprises coupling a damping component to the trunk branch.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising: sealing the multiple side tubes hermetically for sealing the hexagonal floating module.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising: replacing a malfunctioned side tubes for maintaining buoyance of the hexagonal floating module.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising: installing at least one sensor at the external frame for monitoring failure of any of the multiple side tubes.

Description

[0073] The accompanying figures (Figs.) illustrate embodiments and serve to explain principles of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that these figures are presented for purposes of illustration only, and not for defining limits of relevant applications.

[0074] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a hexagonal floating module having a mooring mechanism in accordance to an embodiment;

[0075] FIG. 2 illustrates a top planar view of the hexagonal floating module in FIG. 1;

[0076] FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged view of an unsealed elbow for connecting two sealed side tubes: (a) before assembly; and (b) after assembly in accordance to an embodiment;

[0077] FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of a sealed elbow for connecting two unsealed side tubes: (a) before assembly; and (b) after assembly in accordance to an embodiment;

[0078] FIG. 5 illustrates a top planar view of a trapezoid floating module in accordance to an embodiment;

[0079] FIG. 6 illustrates a top planar view of another hexagonal floating module assembled by two trapezoid floating modules in FIG. 5 in accordance to an embodiment;

[0080] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a floating platform assembled by seven hexagonal floating modules in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6 in accordance to an embodiment;

[0081] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the floating platform in FIG. 7 with the mooring mechanism in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment;

[0082] FIG. 9 illustrates (a) a top perspective view and (b) a side perspective of an offshore system assembled by the floating platform in FIG. 8 in accordance to an embodiment;

[0083] FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the offshore system in FIG. 9;

[0084] FIG. 11 illustrates an enlarged top planar view of damping matts interlocking two side tubes in accordance to an embodiment; and

[0085] FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the damping matts in FIG. 11.

[0086] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a hexagonal floating module 100 in accordance to an embodiment. The hexagonal floating module 100 has an external frame 110 constructed by combining a first side tube 112, a second side tube 114, a third side tube 116, a fourth side tube 118, a fifth side tube 120 and a sixth side tube 122 in sequence for defining a hexagonal boundary for the hexagonal floating module 100. The first side tube 112 and the second tube 114 are combined by a first elbow 124; the second side tube 114 and the third side tube 116 are combined by a second elbow 126; and similarly, a third elbow 128, a fourth elbow 130, a fifth elbow 132 and a sixth elbow 134 are used for combining the other side tubes 116-122 respectively for making the external frame 110 into a unitary structure. The side tubes 112-122 preferably have a same structure with a same length L, and the elbows 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134 also have a same structure; and thus the external frame 110 has a symmetrical configuration to an imaginary central point 194.

[0087] The hexagonal floating module 100 has an internal frame 150 coupled to the external frame 110. The internal frame 150 has a first bar 152 coupled to the first elbow 124 and the third elbow 128; and a second bar 154 coupled to the fourth elbow 130 and the sixth elbow 134. Therefore, the first bar 152 and the second bar 154 are parallel to each other. It is understood that the first bar 152 and the second bar 154 may have other configurations for forming the internal frame 150. The internal frame 150 also has a panel 156 coupled to the first bar 152 and the second bar 154. The panel 156 may have various shapes for matching one or more facilities mounted thereon, such as a rectangular shown herein for solar panels.

[0088] The hexagonal floating module 100 has a mooring mechanism 170 for fixing the floating module 100 in position at the sea or ocean. The mooring mechanism 170 has a first branch string 172, a second branch string 174, a third branch string 176, a fourth branch string 178, a fifth branch string 180 and a sixth branch string 182 coupled to the elbows 124-134, respectively. The coupling can be conducted by any known technologies, such as tying, welding, adhering as well as fastening. For example, the external frame 110 has a first hook 125, a second hook 127, a third hook 129, a fourth hook 131, a fifth hook 133 and a sixth hook 135 at the elbows 124-134, respectively. The branch strings 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182 are coupled to the hooks 125, 127, 129, 131, 133, 135 via a first catch 173, a second catch 175, a third catch 177, a fourth catch 179, a fifth catch 181 and a sixth catch 183, respectively. It is also understood that the hooks 125, 127, 129, 131, 133, 135 may be at other locations of the side tubes 112-122, such as middle points of the side tubes 112-122 respectively. The branch strings 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182 are also coupled to a first end 186 of a trunk string 184 opposed to the external frame 110; and a sinker 190 is coupled to a second end 188 of the trunk string 184. The sinker 190 applies a pulling force to the hexagonal floating module 100 by its gravity; and the pulling force is transmitted via the trunk string 184, then via the branch strings 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182 and finally to the elbows 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134. Therefore, the puling force is distributed evenly across the external frame 110 for making the floating module 100 more stabilized and balanced. In addition, a shock absorber 192 is coupled to the trunk string 184 for converting kinetic energy brought by external shocks into another form of energy (such as thermal energy or heat) which is dissipated from the floating module 100 without causing any influence or damage.

[0089] FIG. 2 illustrates a top planar view of the hexagonal floating module 100 in FIG. 1. It is clearly seen that all the external frame 110, the internal frame 150 and the mooring mechanism 170 have symmetrical configuration to the imaginary central point 194. In particular, the branch strings 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182 are symmetrically distributed to the imaginary central point 194, and the truck string 184 and the sinker 190 are suspended directly under the imaginary central point 194. Therefore, the hexagonal floating module 100 has a symmetrical configuration to the imaginary central point 194 as a whole. If the facility for harvesting renewable energy is mounted symmetrically to the imaginary central point 194, a load of the facility is also distributed symmetrically to the hexagonal floating module 100 for further stabilizing and balancing the entire structure.

[0090] FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged view of an unsealed elbow 200 for connecting two sealed side tubes (i.e. a first sealed side tube 210 and a second sealed side tube 220). FIG. 3(a) shows the unsealed elbow 200 and the sealed side tubes 210, 220 before assembly. The first sealed side tube 210 and the second sealed side tubes 220 have a first closed end 212 and a second closed end 222 respectively, both of which are hermetically sealed to prevent sea water from entering into the sealed side tubes 210, 220, respectively. Similarly, opposed ends of the sealed side tubes 210, 220 are also hermetically closed (not shown in FIG. 3(a)). Therefore, the sealed side tubes 210, 220 are individually water-proof to sea water unless they are failed by being broken or damaged. The closed ends 212, 222 of the sealed side tubes 210, 220 may be conducted via any known technologies, such as plugging, welding and adhering. FIG. 3(b) shows the unsealed elbow 200 and the sealed side tubes 210, 220 after assembly. The unsealed elbow 200 has a first opening 202 and a second opening 204 with inner diameters that are slightly larger than outer diameters of the sealed side tubes 210, 220, respectively. Therefore, the first sealed side tube 210 and the second sealed side tube 220 can be hermitically assembled with the unsealed elbow 200 by tightly inserting the first closed end 212 and the second closed end 222 into the first opening 202 and the second opening 204, respectively (as shown in dotted lines). In addition, a first sealant 206 and a second sealant 208 are applied to the first opening 202 and the second opening 204 to further prevent the sea water from entering into the unsealed elbow 200. The sealants 206, 208 may be applied using any known technologies, such as welding and adhering according to specific materials of the unsealed elbow 200. If all the side tubes 112-122 of the hexagonal floating module 100 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 have a same structure as the sealed side tubes 210, 220 and assembled with the unsealed elbows 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134, respectively, the hexagonal floating module 100 would not sink if one of the side tubes 112-122 is failed, since all the side tubes 112-122 are individually and hermetically sealed by themselves.

[0091] FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of a sealed elbow 250 for connecting two unsealed side tubes (i.e. a first unsealed side tube 260 and a second unsealed side tube 270). FIG. 4(a) shows the sealed elbow 250 and the unsealed side tubes 260, 270 before assembly. Similar to the unsealed elbow 200, the sealed elbow 250 has a first opening 252 and a second opening 254, but the sealed elbow 250 is sealed internally, preferably at its angled portion 256. Therefore, the sealed elbow 250 is separated into a first portion 258 and a second portion 259 by the angled portion; and sea water cannot flow between the first portion 258 and the second portion 259. In contrast to the sealed side tubes 210, 220, the first unsealed side tube 260 and the second unsealed side tube 270 have a first open end 262 and a second open end 272, respectively. FIG. 4(b) shows the sealed elbow 250 and the unsealed side tubes 260, 270 after assembly. The sealed elbow 250 has inner diameters that are slightly larger than outer diameters of the unsealed side tubes 260, 270, respectively. Therefore, the first unsealed side tube 260 and the second unsealed side tube 270 can be hermitically assembled with the sealed elbow 250 by tightly inserting the first open end 262 and the second open end 272 into the first opening 252 and the second opening 264, respectively (as shown in dotted lines). In particular, sea water still cannot flow between the first unsealed side tube 260 and the second unsealed side tube 270 due to the sealed elbow 250. In addition, a first sealant 280 and a second sealant 282 are applied to the first opening 252 and the second opening 254 to further prevent the sea water from entering into the unsealed elbow 200. The sealants 280, 282 may be applied using any known technologies, such as welding and adhering according to specific materials of the sealed elbow 250. As a result, the first opening 252 and the second open end 262 are hermetically accommodated inside the first portion 258 and the second portion 259 respectively and separated by the angled portion 256. If all the side tubes 112-122 of the hexagonal floating module 100 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 have a same structure as the unsealed side tubes 260, 270 and assembled with the sealed elbows 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134, respectively, the hexagonal floating module 100 would not sink if one of the side tubes 112-122 is failed, since all the side tubes 112-122 are hermetically sealed by the sealed elbows 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134. It is also possible to assemble the sealed side tubes 210, 220 with the sealed elbow 250 for providing additional protection from the sea water.

[0092] FIG. 5 illustrates a top planar view of a trapezoid floating module 300 in accordance to an embodiment. The trapezoid floating module 300 has an externa frame 310 having three short side tubes 312-316 (i.e. a first short side tube 312, a second short side tube 314 and a third 316) with a same length of L, and a long side tube 318 with a length of 2L coupled together. In particular, the first short tube 312 is parallel to the long side tube 318. The first short side tube 312, the second short side tube 314, the long side tube 318 and the fourth short side tube 316 are coupled in sequence by a first elbow 320, a second elbow 322, a third elbow 324 and a fourth elbow 326, respectively. The trapezoid floating module 300 also has an internal frame 330 with a bar 332 coupled to the first elbow 320 and the third elbow 324.

[0093] FIG. 6 illustrates a top planar view of another hexagonal floating module 350 assembled by two trapezoid floating modules (i.e. a first trapezoid floating module 360 and a second trapezoid floating module 380) in FIG. 5 in accordance to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6(a), before assembly, the two trapezoid floating modules 360, 380 are configured with a first long side tube 362 of the first trapezoid floating module 360 and a second long side tube 382 of the second trapezoid floating module 380 facing to each other. As a result, a first bar 364 of the first trapezoid floating module 360 is parallel to a second bar 384 of the second trapezoid floating module 380. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the two long side tubes 362, 382 are combined during assembly using any known technologies, such as welding and adhering. Finally, a panel 352 is coupled to the first bar 364 and the second bar 384. As a result, the hexagonal floating modules 100, 350 has a similar structure, except that the hexagonal floating module 350 has the long side tubes 362, 382; and thus the hexagonal floating module 350 has a stronger structural strength.

[0094] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a floating platform 400 assembled by seven hexagonal floating modules in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6 in accordance to an embodiment. The floating platform 400 has a hexagonal floating module 420 at a central position (called central floating module 420); and six hexagonal floating modules 430-480 (i.e. a first peripheral floating module 430, a second peripheral floating module 440, a third peripheral floating module 450, a fourth peripheral floating module 460, a fifth peripheral floating module 470 and a sixth peripheral floating module 480) at peripheries (called peripheral floating modules 430-480) surrounding the central floating module 420. A first fastener 402 is used to combine a first central tube 422 and a first inner side tube 432 to assemble the central floating module 420 and the first peripheral floating module 430. Similarly, other fasteners 404-412 (i.e. a second fastener 404, a third fastener 406, a fourth fastener 408, a fifth fastener 410, a sixth fastener 412) are used to combine the other peripheral floating modules 440, 450, 460, 470, 480 to the central floating module 420 via a second central tube 423 and a second inner side tube 442, third central tube 424 and a third inner side tube 452, a fourth central tube 425 and a fourth inner side tube 462, a fifth central tube 426 and a fifth inner side tube 472, and a sixth central tube 427 and a sixth inner side tube 482 of the central floating module 420, respectively. Similarly, every two of the adjacent or neighboring peripheral floating modules 430-480 are also combined via fasteners 414-419 (i.e. a seventh fastener 414, an eighth fastener 415, a ninth fastener 416, a tenth fastener 417, an eleventh fastener 418 and a twelfth fastener 419). For example, a first left side tube 434 and a first right side tube 436 of the first peripheral floating module 430 are combined respectively with a second right side tube 444 of the second peripheral floating module 440 via the seventh fastener 414 and a sixth left side tube 484 of the sixth peripheral floating module 480, respectively. Therefore, the floating platform 400 has a symmetrical configuration to the central floating module 420, more particularly to an imaginary central point 492 of the central floating module 420.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 7, solar panels 490 are mounted on the central floating module 420 for harvesting solar energy at the sea. It is understood that more solar panels 490 may also be mounted on the peripheral floating modules 430-480 for partially or fully covering the floating platform 400.

[0096] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the floating platform 400 in FIG. 7 with the mooring mechanism 170 in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment. The mooring mechanism 170 is coupled to the central floating module 420 in a symmetrical manner to the imaginary central point 492 and thus the pulling force from the mooring mechanism 170 is evenly distributed across the floating platform 400.

[0097] FIG. 9 illustrates (a) a top perspective view and (b) a side perspective of an offshore system 500 assembled by the floating platforms 400 in FIG. 8 in accordance to an embodiment. Various facilities for harvesting renewable energies, particularly green energies are mounted onto the offshore system 500, such as solar panels 510 for harvesting solar energy and wind turbines 520 for harvesting wind energy. In particular, the wind turbines 520 has very tall profiles which would substantially not block the sun to the solar panels 510 mounted below and around the wind turbines 520. For each floating platform 400, it is preferable that the wind turbines 520 are mounted on the central floating module 420 while the solar panels 510 are mounted on the peripheral floating modules 430-480. This design has an advantage of distrusting loads of the solar panels 510 and the wind turbines 520 evenly across the offshore system 500, which makes the offshore system 500 more stabilized at the sea.

[0098] FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the offshore system 500 in FIG. 9. Damping matts 530 are used for flexibly binding or interlocking two neighboring floating platforms 400. The damping matts 530 would protect the floating platforms 400 by absorbing external shocking or vibrational energy of the sea water. Meanwhile, the damping matts also server as service walkways for human staffs or machines to move on the offshore system 500. Gaps 532 exist between two neighboring damping matts 530 but are less than 30 centimeters (cm) for providing a continuous walkway for the human staff. Each damping matt 530 has a length enough for substantially covers the side tube of the floating platforms 400 entirely such that the human staff or machines can get access to every location around the offshore system 500. In addition, tracking devices 540 are mounted beneath the solar panels 510 for adjusting the solar panels 510 always towards the sun for harvesting the solar energy more efficiently.

[0099] FIG. 11 illustrates an enlarged top planar view of damping matts 530 interlocking two side tubes 550, 560 (i.e. a first side tube 550 and a second side tube 560) in accordance to an embodiment. The damping matt 530 extends along the side tubes 550, 560 between two elbows 570, 580 (i.e. a first elbow 570 and a second elbow 580); and all the damping matts 530 thus extend across the entire offshore system 500. In addition, fastening bonds 590 are applied on the damping matt 530 for securing the damping matt 530 in place and preventing the damping matt 530 from sliding away from its original position. In FIG. 11, three fastening bonds 590 are applied to a middle portion 534 and two ends 536, 538 (i.e. a first end 536 and a second end 538) of the damping matt 530, respectively. It is understood that the layout of the three fastening bonds 590 as shown in FIG. 11 is exemplary only; and other layouts of applying the fastening bonds 590 to the damping matts 530 are also within the inventive concept of the subject application.

[0100] FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the damping matts 530 in FIG. 11. The damping matt 530 only covers upper portions of the side tubes 550, 560 for saving materials of the damping matt 530. Alternatively, the damping matt 530 may cover the side tubes 550, 560 completely for forming a closed loop if the offshore system 500 would be deployed to specific sea area where strong winds or even storms are frequent to occur. The side tubes 550, 560 have a smooth surface so that they can rotate to each other without much hindrance. Therefore, the offshore system 500 can resist external shocks or storms more effectively by rotating the side tubes 550, 560 to each other. After the external shocks or storms, the side tubes 550, 560 would return to their original positions due to the force of gravity.

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment of the subject invention, the side tube is made of High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) and has an outside diameter (OD) of 500/315 millimetres (mm) and a length of 12 meters (m). Six side tubes makes up a hexagonal floating module which has a buoyance of 64 kilograms per meter (kg/m) (for the side tubes having OD of 315 mm) or 160 kilograms per meter (kg/m) (for the side tubes having OD of 500 mm). Multiple floating modules then make up the floating platform applicable for both freshwater floating photo-voltage (FPV) and saltwater floating photo-voltage (FPV), which may have a power output/cluster of 100 to 200 kilowatts peak (kWp). Facilities of various solar types could be installed onto the floating platform, including larger foam factor mono type, poly crystalline frameless type or with frame mono & bifacial type. Hybrid energies can be harvested, such as solar energy and wind energy (such as low velocity WTG). In addition, integrated mooring with elastomers for tidal variation is also attached to the floating platform; particularly the integrated mooring has mooring line force distribution to the floating modules on water surface.

[0102] Furthermore, frames and brackets made of stainless steel or aluminium are also installed to the floating platform. Other equipments are also installed with the floating platform to make up the floating system, including inverters, combiners and DC/DC converter. In addition, cable management inter-array is implemented by being integrated with walkways of the floating platform; while cable management export is implemented by being integrated and subsea cable hang off.

[0103] In the application, unless specified otherwise, the terms comprising, comprise, and grammatical variants thereof, intended to represent open or inclusive language such that they include recited elements but also permit inclusion of additional, non-explicitly recited elements.

[0104] As used herein, the term about, in the context of concentrations of components of the formulations, typically means +/5% of the stated value, more typically +/4% of the stated value, more typically +/3% of the stated value, more typically, +/2% of the stated value, even more typically +/1% of the stated value, and even more typically +/0.5% of the stated value.

[0105] Throughout this disclosure, certain embodiments may be disclosed in a range format. The description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the disclosed ranges. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible sub-ranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed sub-ranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within that range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the range.

[0106] It will be apparent that various other modifications and adaptations of the application will be apparent to the person skilled in the art after reading the foregoing disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the application and it is intended that all such modifications and adaptations come within the scope of the appended claims.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0107] 100 hexagonal floating module; [0108] 110 external frame; [0109] 112 first side tube; [0110] 114 second side tube; [0111] 116 third side tube; [0112] 118 fourth side tube; [0113] 120 fifth side tube; [0114] 122 sixth side tube; [0115] 124 first elbow; [0116] 125 first hook; [0117] 126 second elbow; [0118] 127 second hook; [0119] 128 third elbow; [0120] 129 third hook (not shown); [0121] 130 fourth elbow; [0122] 131 fourth hook; [0123] 132 fifth elbow; [0124] 133 fifth hook (not shown); [0125] 134 sixth elbow; [0126] 135 sixth hook (not shown); [0127] 0 internal frame; [0128] 2 first bar; [0129] 154 second bar; [0130] 156 panel; [0131] 170 mooring mechanism; [0132] 172 first branch string; [0133] 173 first catch; [0134] 174 second branch string; [0135] 175 second catch; [0136] 176 third branch string; [0137] 177 third catch (not shown); [0138] 178 fourth branch string; [0139] 179 fourth catch; [0140] 180 fifth branch string; [0141] 181 fifth catch (not shown); [0142] 182 sixth branch string; [0143] 183 sixth catch (not shown); [0144] 184 trunk string; [0145] 186 first end; [0146] 188 second end; [0147] 190 sinker; [0148] 192 shock absorber; [0149] 194 imaginary central point; [0150] 200 unsealed elbow; [0151] 202 first opening; [0152] 204 second opening; [0153] 206 first sealant; [0154] 208 second sealant; [0155] 210 first sealed side tube; [0156] 212 first closed end; [0157] 220 second sealed side tube; [0158] 222 second closed end; [0159] 250 sealed elbow; [0160] 252 first opening; [0161] 254 second opening; [0162] 256 angled portion; [0163] 258 first portion; [0164] 259 second portion; [0165] 260 first unsealed side tube; [0166] 262 first open end; [0167] 270 second unsealed side tube; [0168] 272 second open end (not shown); [0169] 280 first sealant; [0170] 282 second sealant; [0171] 300 trapezoid floating module; [0172] 310 external frame; [0173] 312 first short side tube; [0174] 314 second short side tube; [0175] 316 third short side tube; [0176] 318 long tube; [0177] 320 first elbow; [0178] 322 second elbow; [0179] 324 third elbow; [0180] 326 fourth elbow; [0181] 330 internal frame; [0182] 332 bar; [0183] 350 hexagonal floating module; [0184] 352 panel; [0185] 360 first trapezoid floating module; [0186] 362 first long side tube; [0187] 364 first bar; [0188] 380 second trapezoid floating module; [0189] 382 second long side tube; [0190] 384 second bar; [0191] 400 floating platform; [0192] 402 first fastener; [0193] 404 second fastener; [0194] 406 third fastener; [0195] 408 fourth fastener; [0196] 410 fifth fastener; [0197] 412 sixth fastener; [0198] 414 seventh fastener; [0199] 415 eighth fastener; [0200] 416 ninth fastener; [0201] 417 tenth fastener; [0202] 418 eleventh fastener; [0203] 419 twelfth fastener; [0204] 420 central floating module; [0205] 422 first central tube; [0206] 423 second central tube; [0207] 424 third central tube; [0208] 425 fourth central tube; [0209] 426 fifth central tube; [0210] 427 sixth central tube; [0211] 430 first peripheral floating module; [0212] 432 first inner side tube; [0213] 434 first left side tube; [0214] 436 first right side tube; [0215] 440 second peripheral floating module; [0216] 442 second inner side tube; [0217] 444 second right side tube; [0218] 450 third peripheral floating module; [0219] 452 third inner side tube; [0220] 460 fourth peripheral floating module; [0221] 462 fourth inner side tube; [0222] 470 fifth peripheral floating module; [0223] 472 fifth inner side tube; [0224] 480 sixth peripheral floating module; [0225] 482 sixth inner side tube; [0226] 484 sixth left side tube; [0227] 490 solar panels; [0228] 492 imaginary central point; [0229] 500 offshore system; [0230] 510 solar panel; [0231] 520 wind turbine; [0232] 530 damping matts; [0233] 532 gaps; [0234] 534 middle portion; [0235] 536 first end; [0236] 538 second end; [0237] 540 tracking device; [0238] 550 first side tube; [0239] 560 second side tube; [0240] 570 first elbow; [0241] 580 second elbow; [0242] 590 fastening bond;