Optimal Sizing of Stand-alone Solar PV Systems via Automated Formal Synthesis

Abstract: There exist various methods and tools to size solar photovoltaic systems; however, these tools rely on simulations, which do not cover all aspects of the design space during the search for optimal solution. In prior studies in optimal sizing, the focus was always on criteria or objectives. Here, we present a new sound and automated approach to obtain optimal sizing using an unprecedented program synthesis. Our variant of counterexample guided inductive synthesis (CEGIS) approach has two phases linking the technical and cost analysis: first we synthesize a feasible candidate based on power reliability, but that may not achieve the lowest cost; second, the candidate is then verified iteratively with a lower bound cost via symbolic model checking. If the verification step does not fail, the lower bound is adjusted; and if it fails, a counterexample provides the optimal solution. Experimental results using seven case studies and commercial equipment data show that our synthesis method can produce within an acceptable run-time the optimal system sizing. We also present a comparative with a specialized simulation tool over real photovoltaic systems to show the effectiveness of our approach, which can provide a more detailed and accurate solution than that simulation tool.