Optimisation of solar PV plant locations for grid support using genetic algorithm and pattern search

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study aimed at investigating the impacts of optimisation of PV plant locations in South Africa in the context of the seasonal and diurnal cycles associated with the system load profiles and solar generation profiles. The distribution of a normalised per-unit generation capacity is optimised across a set of locations chosen to represent the diurnal cycle along a west-east axis and the seasonal cycle along a north-south axis, using local solar irradiance profiles for the candidate sites. Optimisations are conducted for a range of objective functions representing different scenarios defined in terms of seasonal considerations and time-of-use (TOU) periods using both genetic algorithm (GA) and pattern search methods in the MATLAB simulation environment. Comparative analysis of the optimisation results indicate that the latitude of PV plant locations plays a significant role in seasonal performance, while optimisation along a longitude dimension offers higher power generation during daily peak demand periods.