Optimizing the Heliostat Field Layout by Applying Stochastic Population-Based Algorithms

Cruz, Nicolas C.; Redondo, Juana L.; Álvarez, Jose D.; Berenguel, Manuel; Ortigosa, Pilar M.

doi:10.15388/Informatica.2018.156

Informatica

Optimizing the Heliostat Field Layout by Applying Stochastic Population-Based Algorithms

Volume 29, Issue 1 (2018), pp. 21–39

Nicolas C. Cruz Juana L. Redondo Jose D. Álvarez Manuel Berenguel Pilar M. Ortigosa

https://doi.org/10.15388/Informatica.2018.156

Pub. online: 1 January 2018 Type: Research Article

Open Access

Received
1 May 2017

Accepted
1 December 2017

Published
1 January 2018

Abstract

The heliostat field of Solar Central Receiver Systems takes up to 50% of the initial investment and can cause up to 40% of energetic loss in operation. Hence, it must be carefully optimized. Design procedures usually rely on particular heliostat distribution models. In this work, optimization of the promising biomimetic distribution model is studied. Two stochastic population-based optimizers are applied to maximize the optical efficiency of fields: a genetic algorithm, micraGA, and a memetic one, UEGO. As far as the authors know, they have not been previously applied to this problem. However, they could be a good option according to their structure. Additionally, a Brute-Force Grid is used to estimate the global optimum and a Pure-Random Search is applied as a baseline reference. Our empirical results show that many different configurations of the distribution model lead to very similar solutions. Although micraGA exhibits poor performance, UEGO achieves the best results in a reduced time and seems appropriate for the problem at hand.

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Biographies

Cruz Nicolas C.

ncalvocruz@ual.es

N.C. Cruz is a predoctoral researcher at the Informatics Department at University of Almería, Spain. He studied the degree and master in computer engineering at the University of Almería. He is currently doing his PhD thanks to the Spanish FPU program. His publications and more information about him can be found in www.hpca.ual.es/~ncalvo. His research interests are solar energy, global optimization and high performance computing.

Redondo Juana L.

jlredondo@ual.es

J.L. Redondo is a researcher at the Informatics Department at University of Almerría, Spain. She is a fellow of the Spanish ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract program, co-financed by the European Social Fund. Some of her publications are available at www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=35206862500. Her research interests include high performance computing, global optimization and applications.

Álvarez Jose D.

jhervas@ual.es

J.D. Álvarez is a postdoctoral researcher of Informatics Department at the University of Almería, Spain. He obtained, in 2008, from the same university, the PhD degree in Automatic Control in Solar Plants. Currently, he is a fellow of the Spanish ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract program, co-financed by the European Social Fund. Some of his publications can be found in www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=16303147700. His research interests cover automatic control, solar energy and energy efficient in buildings.

Berenguel Manuel

beren@ual.es

M. Berenguel is a professor of automatic control and systems engineering and head of the research group ‘Automatic Control, Robotics and Mechatronics’ at the University of Almería, Spain. Some of his publications can be found in www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6701834872. His research interests are in control education and in predictive and hierarchical control, with applications to solar energy systems, agriculture and biotechnology.

Ortigosa Pilar M.

ortigosa@ual.es

P.M. Ortigosa is a professor at the Informatics Department at University of Almería, Spain. She obtained her PhD from the University of Málaga. Her publications can be found in www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6602759441. Her research interests include high performance computing, global optimization and applications.

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