Design Analysis of Electrical System Onshore Wind Farms Using Genetic Algorithm: A Case Study

Abstract

An optimization methodology based on genetic algorithm (GA) is presented, where the main components of a wind farm and key technical specifications are used as input parameters and the electrical system design of the wind farm is optimised in terms of both production cost and system operation. A comparative analysis of an existing wind farm design is performed involving the application of genetic algorithms (GAs) for solution optimization. A real wind farm in Brazil is used in the analysis, with the internal electrical network configuration defined by the conventional method of electrical engineering for sizing networks with subterranean cables directly buried in the ground. In the formulation of the GA methodology, the required investment in building and current energy losses are defined as objective functions in the optimisation process, and the economic calculation of the cable is used. Simulations are performed for network optimisation, and the results are implemented with the project solution in the wind farm. The influence of short circuits on network sizing is also analysed. The results show the economics of an internal network with the implementation of the topology of the proposed optimisation method of R$168,905.32. By separately evaluating the reduction in the losses and investment, it can be observed that the economy achieved is due to operational costs, with a reduction of R $ 233,504.78. In the studied case, the short-circuit sizing was not significantly affected by the diameter of the internal network cable.