Models ~ microgridDesign
The multiSiteMicrogridDesign model uses a 1yr load profile to determine the most economical combination of solar, wind, and storage technologies to use in a microgrid. The model also provides basic resiliency analysis. The financial and resiliency optimization is performed using the [NREL reOpt API]: https://developer.nrel.gov/docs/energy-optimization/reopt-v1/
The hourly load shape input is a multi-column csv with exactly 8760 rows. Each row in the csv corresponds to 1 hour in the year, and each column corresponds to a single site to be analyzed. Results are provided both for the scenario where each site is treated as a separate microgrid and where a single microgrid is expected to support all sites.
The latitude and longitude correspond to the location at which the microgrid is to be deployed. This information is used to determine local solar and wind data.
The year corresponds to the year for which the load shapes are provided; this is used to gather appropriate solar and wind data.
The cost of energy and cost of demand inputs allow the user to experiment with different cost scenarios, and to provide information that is specific to their circumstance. Default values reflect average national costs.
The solar, wind, and battery checkboxes allow the user to select the technologies they wish to consider in their microgrid.
The technology cost inputs allow the user to specify values that are appropriate for their location.
The technology minimum variable allow the user to experiment with different resilience scenarios. We recommend performing the analysis initially with the minimums set to 0, observing the recommended technology sizes and the corresponding resiliency and then increasing the minimum size to improve resilience.
The critical load factor is the percentage of load that must be met in order to "survive" a power outage.
The generator size input allows the user to specify whether a pre-existing diesel generator is available for resiliency support during a power outage, and if so how much available fuel is present. The fuel burn rate is determined based on the generator size (see NREL API for details).
The minimnum generator loading is the percentage of load that must be met by the generator during a power outage.
