Form optimization of free-form tensile membranes for maximizing annual cumulative solar radiation on solar panels using genetic algorithm

In the past few decades, the tendency of generating energy from renewable sources has increased. Architects and researchers have made significant progress towards the use of renewable energy in practice. In this path, most of the research and practice have been focused on using renewable energy sources in general building forms and geometries. The geometrical structure and the internal stress distribution of tensile membranes have made solar radiation analysis and optimization more challenging. While architects are more interested in the applications of these types of buildings, occupants prefer to preserve ample shade and human comfort. This research applies form finding techniques of tensile membranes and investigates the procedures and challenges of solar radiation analysis on the tensile surface. Furthermore, it uses Genetic Algorithm to optimize the tensile membrane form to receive the highest amount of annual cumulative solar radiation for the generation of electricity using solar panels. The results are promising since only a marginal increase of materials has led to an annual increase of ۲۵۰۰ KW perceived radiation. The procedure used in this research can also be used in all typed of free-form projects.

Keywords:

Tensile membranes , form finding , radiation analysis