MORSA: Multi-objective reptile search algorithm based on elite non-dominated sorting and grid indexing mechanism for wind farm layout optimization problem

The proposal of the wind farm layout optimization (WFLO) problem aims to better utilize wind energy. A multi-objective reptile search algorithm (MORSA) based on elite non-dominated sorting and grid indexing mechanism was proposed to solve the multi-objective optimization problem of wind farm layout under the Jansen wake model to maximize power generation while minimizing costs. Firstly, the elite non-dominated sorting method was used to sort the population, and then the crowding distance method was used to maintain the diversity between the optimal sets. By calculating the crowding distance, the same level of non-dominated populations are sorted. Then, the grid index mechanism is added to the archive for selection and deletion. Leaders can use the roulette wheel to select and delete some solutions in high-density grids. By obtaining the optimal Pareto solution set while maintaining the diversity of the population, the effectiveness of solving multi-objective optimization problems is improved. The improved algorithm solves the WFLO problem based on the Jansen wake model by using two different initial self-flow winds for performance testing while considering the effects of single wake and multiple wake with or without partial wake occlusion. The performance of the WFLO (output power and cost) was compared without considering wake obstruction, MORSA can obtain the minimum turbine cost of 26.3601 and the maximum power generation of 2.3078E-08 with a single wake flow of 16 m/s. The experimental results show that the proposed MORSA has better convergence and applicability, and has shown good results in multi-objective layout optimization of wind farms.