The dynamic electric boat charging problem

Paper aims This paper proposes a new optimization problem named the dynamic electric boat charging problem (DEBCP). Originality The problem dynamically determines the speed and charging decisions of an electric boat (EB) to be performed in photovoltaic charging stations (PVCSs). Research method The objective function is to minimize the charging plus the battery degradation costs. Considering that the energy consumption of the EB and the solar irradiance for the PVCSs are uncertain due to factors external to the operation, the dynamic component of the DEBCP recalculates the solution to the problem as new information related to these variables is known. To solve the problem, we propose a rolling horizon genetic algorithm. This method constantly reevaluates the speed and charging decisions of the operation. Such decisions are made with a genetic algorithm. Main findings Our results show that the recalculations help either reducing the cost of the solution when possible or correcting the operation when needed. Implications for theory and practice To evaluate our solution method, we built some test instances based on a future fluvial transport operation with an EB that will be implemented in Colombia. We assess the impact of the dynamic recalculations by comparing the results of the DBECP problem to a scenario following a static solution.