EAGER: Innovative Energy Farm Design

该奖项的研究目标是开发一种智能优化搜索策略，以设计替代能源基础设施（如风力发电场和太阳能发电场）的配置。目标是确定在环境中应该放置发电机的位置，以及每个发电机应该关联哪些属性，同时随时允许开发发电机和电网技术。这种探索性研究不同于目前基于规则模式或晶格的方法，这些方法也使用固定的生成器配置。通过结合连续的全局和局部配置方法的搜索策略，确定发电机位置的新模式，有机会显著改善能源场的设计。除了位置之外，每个发电机的更多属性（例如，风力涡轮机的类型和能力或太阳能电池板的大小和容量）可以被考虑和改变，以进一步提高整体性能。如果成功，交付的产品将包括一个软件系统，该软件系统将有关环境（地形，风速和方向等）的全面和真实信息作为输入，并输出最有效和最高效地产生能量的发电机布局。这项探索性拨款将为研究替代能源发电机的安置和设计的新方法以及有效使用这种软件系统提供基础。这项工作将有助于能源发电设计、优化和设计方法等领域。

The research objective of this EAGER award is to develop an intelligent optimization search strategy to design the configuration of alternative energy infrastructure such as wind farms and solar farms. The goal is to determine where generators should be located in an environment and what attributes should be associated with each generator, while readily allowing for the inclusion of developing generator and electricity grid technologies. This exploratory research differs from current approaches that are based off of a regular pattern or lattice that also use fixed generator configurations. There is opportunity to significantly improve energy farm design by identifying new patterns of generator locations based on search strategies that combine continuous global and local approaches to configuration. In addition to location, more attributes of each generator (e.g., the type and capability of a wind turbine or the size and capacity of a solar panel) can be considered and varied to further improve overall performance. If successful, deliverables will include a software system that takes as input thorough and realistic information about the environment (terrain, wind speeds and directions, etc.) and outputs a layout of generators that most effectively and efficiently produce energy. This exploratory grant will provide the basis to investigate novel approaches for placement and design of alternative energy generators, and effective ways to use such a software system. The work will contribute to the fields of energy generation design, optimization, and design methods.