Optimization of Stationary Flat-Plate Solar Collectors

The optimum design of stationary flat-plate solar collectors is considered using the game theory approach for multiple objectives. The clear day solar beam radiation and diffuse radiation at the location of the solar collector are estimated. Three objectives are considered in the optimization problem formulation: maximization of the annual average incident solar energy, maximization of the lowest month incident solar energy and minimization of the cost. The game theory solution represents the best compromise in terms of the supercriterion selected. Because some design parameters such as solar constant, altitude, typical day of each month and most of the design variables are not precisely known, a probabilistic approach is also proposed in this work. The results obtained by the determinist and probabilistic approaches are compared. It is found that the absolute value of each objective function decreases with an increase in either the probability of constraint satisfaction or the coefficient of variation of the random variables. This work represents the first work aimed at the application of multi-objective optimization strategy, particularly the game theory approach, for the solution of the solar collector design problem.