Instructions

Download this document and answer the questions in it. Then, upload your answers to Box.

Remember to anonymize your submission. Your file name should contain only your Participant ID Number and the section number. For example, if your Participant ID Number is 103, your file name should be “SFD31_P103.docx.” Note that “SFD” stands for “Solar Farm Design.” Section 3.1 is abbreviated as 31. “P” stands for “Participant.”

Click here to return to Section 3.1 in the textbook.

Click here for Aladdin Reference Slides.

Practice Example: Solar Farm Design

A design problem often has more than one objective. Initially, our objective of designing a solar farm was to maximize the total energy output while minimizing the cost. In the real world, there are often other objectives that designers need to consider. For example:

• Profit: Solar farms are also a type of investment. The investors hope to sell the energy produced to cover the cost and eventually make a profit.
• Average energy output: The investors have many projects to invest in. The solar farm design needs to generate as much output per solar panel as possible, or the investors may look elsewhere.

For example, how can we calculate the yearly average output of a solar farm design? We can express it as a function of several variables:

Yearly average output = yearly total output / number of solar panels

Aladdin is also equipped with a GD algorithm that can generate solar farm designs automatically. But first, you – the human designer – must define the objective for it. Remember, the algorithm doesn’t understand words like “profit”, but it sure understands mathematical formulae or expressions.

1. Define yearly profit using these known quantities:
   • Total yearly energy output (kWh)
   • Electricity selling price ($/kWh)
   • Number of solar panels
   • Yearly cost of solar panels ($/panel)

Define yearly profit:

Yearly profit = yearly revenue – yearly cost                     =