Analysis of energy system configuration and energy balance for stratospheric airship based on position energy storage strategy

The renewable energy system is one of the critical factors affecting stratospheric airships to achieve the long-duration station-keeping mission. This paper proposes a position energy storage strategy to achieve regional station-keeping by adjusting the airspeed of day and night. Firstly, a curved PV array model considering thermal effects and power required model are established. Then the flight strategy model and energy management model are established, and the feasibility of the position energy storage strategy is analyzed through a case. The results show that the strategy can solve the energy shortage problem of airship at night during some time periods, and in the high-speed wind field, the endurance time is increased from 6.94 h to 49.51 h through the pre-stored position potential and initial electrical energy. Moreover, the impact of location energy storage strategies on energy system configuration is discussed. The result shows that using the PES strategy as the design basis can reduce the total mass of the energy system, which has more advantages in areas with higher irradiation energy density and higher wind speed.