Wind Farm Layout Optimization/Expansion of Real Wind Turbines with a Parallel Collaborative Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to study the Wind Farm Layout Optimization/expansion problem. This problem is formulated here as a Multi-Objective Optimization Problem considering the total power output and net efficiency of Wind Farms as objectives along with specific constraints. Once formulated, this problem needs to be solved efficiently. For that, a new approach based on a combination of five Multi-Objective Optimization algorithms, which is named the Parallel Collaborative Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm, is developed and implemented. This technique is checked on seven test cases; for each case, the goal is to find a set of optimal solutions called the Pareto Front, which can be exploited later. The acquired solutions were compared with other approaches and the proposed approach was found to be the better one. Finally, this work concludes that the proposed approach gives, in a single run, a set of optimal solutions from which a designer/planner can select the best layout of a designed Wind Farm using expertise and applying technical and economic constraints.