Aiming at the shortcomings of the traditional sparrow search algorithm (SSA) in path planning, such as its high time-consumption, long path length, it being easy to collide with static obstacles and its inability to avoid dynamic obstacles, this paper proposes a new improved SSA based on multi-strategies. Firstly, Cauchy reverse learning was used to initialize the sparrow population to avoid a premature convergence of the algorithm. Secondly, the sine–cosine algorithm was used to update the producers’ position of the sparrow population and balance the global search and local exploration capabilities of the algorithm. Then, a Lévy flight strategy was used to update the scroungers’ position to avoid the algorithm falling into the local optimum. Finally, the improved SSA and dynamic window approach (DWA) were combined to enhance the local obstacle avoidance ability of the algorithm. The proposed novel algorithm is named ISSA-DWA. Compared with the traditional SSA, the path length, path turning times and execution time planned by the ISSA-DWA are reduced by 13.42%, 63.02% and 51.35%, respectively, and the path smoothness is improved by 62.29%. The experimental results show that the ISSA-DWA proposed in this paper can not only solve the shortcomings of the SSA but can also plan a highly smooth path safely and efficiently in the complex dynamic obstacle environment.

As crucial technology in the auto-navigation of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), path-planning methods have attracted scholars’ attention. Given the limitations of White Shark Optimizer (WSO), such as convergence deceleration, time consumption, and nonstandard dynamic action, an improved WSO combined with the dynamic window approach (DWA) is proposed in this paper, named IWSO-DWA. First, circle chaotic mapping, adaptive weight factor and the simplex method are used to improve the initial solution and spatial search efficiency and accelerate the convergence of the algorithm. Second, optimal path information planned by the improved WSO is put into the DWA to enhance the USV’s navigation performance. Finally, the COLREGs rules are added to the global dynamic optimal path planning method to ensure the USV’s safe navigation. Compared with the WSO, the experimental simulation results demonstrate that the path length cost, steering cost and time cost of the proposed method are decreased by 13.66%, 18.78% and 79.08%, respectively, and the improvement in path smoothness cost amounts to 19.85%. Not only can the proposed IWSO-DWA plan an optimal global navigation path in an intricate marine environment, but it can also help a USV avoid other ships dynamically in real time and meets the COLREGs rules.

Correctly anticipating PV electricity production may lessen stochastic fluctuations and incentivize energy consumption. To address the intermittent and unpredictable nature of photovoltaic power generation, this article presents an ensemble learning model (MVMD-CLES) based on the whale optimization algorithm (WOA), variational mode decomposition (VMD), convolutional neural network (CNN), long and short-term memory (LSTM), and extreme learning machine (ELM) stacking. Given the variances in the spatiotemporal distribution of photovoltaic data and meteorological features, a multi-branch character extraction iterative mixture learning model is proposed: we apply the MWOA algorithm to find the optimal decomposition times and VMD penalty factor, and then divide the PV power sequences into sub-modes with different frequencies using a two-layer algorithmic structure to reconstruct the obtained power components. The primary learner is CNN–BiLSTM, which is utilized to understand the temporal and spatial correlation of PV power from information about the weather and the output of photovoltaic cells, and the LSTM learns the periodicity and proximity correlation of the power data and obtains the corresponding component predictions. The second level is the secondary learner—the output of the first layer is learned again using the ELM to attenuate noise and achieve short-term prediction. In different case studies, regardless of weather changes, the proposed method is provided with the best group of consistency and constancy, with an average RMSE improvement of 12.08–39.14% over a single-step forecast compared to other models, the average forecast RMSE increased by 5.71–9.47% for the first two steps.