Hybrid heuristic for the optimal design of photovoltaic installations considering mismatch loss effects

摘要

We consider the Photovoltaic Installation Design Problem (PIDP). In this problem, photovoltaic modules must be connected in "strings" and wired to a set of electronic components. The aim is to minimize installation costs and maximize power production, which is affected by "mismatch losses" caused by non-uniform irradiation (shading) and is also directly related to design decisions. We relate the problem to the known class of location routing problems and we design a route-first/cluster-second heuristic. We propose an efficient machine learning approach to evaluate Photovoltaic (PV) string performances accounting for mismatch losses. We prove that our approach is effective in real-world instances provided by our industrial partner. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.