DER VET User Guide/Technologies

Index
Installing DER-VET
Running a Case
Model Details
Services
Technologies
Command Line Inputs
Command Line Outputs
GUI Inputs
GUI Results
GUI Quick Start Cases
Resolving Issues

This page will organize all DERs available in DER-VET.

Each technology option is unique and some of them interact in unique ways (e.g. solar plus storage or chillers plus boilers plus combined heat and power). Understanding the technology models is critical for structuring a meaningful, representative case in DER-VET.

Inputs Common to all Technologies

Name

Tag	Key	Description
*	name	This provides a unique identifier to each instance of each technology. If multiple instances of a single technology are present (e.g. two storage systems), they can be distinguished by their name. Names should be unique.

Startup Time

Tag	Key	Description
*	startup_time	This is the length in minutes it takes for the technology to start generating and start supplying their minimum power. This is used to constrain participation in spinning reserves and non-spinning reserves.

Capital Cost

Tag	Key	Description
*	ccost	This is the component of the total capital costs ($) that do not scale with power capacity or energy capacity. These costs will be applied to the financial results no matter what size the DER ends up being, including 0. The total capital cost of a DER is ccost + ccost_kW * kW_rated (+ ccost_kWh * kWh_rated).

Capital Cost per kW

Tag	Key	Description
*	ccost_kW	This is the component of the total capital costs ($/kW) that scale with the power capacity of the DER. The total capital cost of a DER is ccost + ccost_kW * kW_rated (+ ccost_kWh * kWh_rated).

Capital Cost per kWh

Tag	Key	Description
*	ccost_kWh	This is the component of the total capital costs ($/kWh) that scale with the energy capacity of the DER. The total capital cost of a DER is ccost + ccost_kW * kW_rated (+ ccost_kWh * kWh_rated).

Startup Costs

Tag	Key	Description
*	startup	This binary (0 or 1) input determines whether or not to apply startup costs to a DER. Startup costs are applied to the benefit-cost analysis and impact the dispatch optimization. Any time a DER goes from zero power to non-zero power, a startup cost is applied.

Fixed Operation and Maintenance Costs

Tag	Key	Description
*	fixedOM or fixed_om_cost	The fixed operating costs are applied every year the technology is present in the DER mix. They are not modified by the operation of the DER. Fixed operating costs can include warranty/performance guarantee costs or other ongoing costs that are fully known before the start of the project.

Variable Operation and Maintenance Costs

Tag	Key	Description
*	OMexpenses or variable_om_cost	The variable operating costs are applied per MWh of energy generated/discharged from the DER. Charging has no impact (but any energy charged must be eventually discharged!). A nonzero variable O&M cost suppresses storage system cycling or generation operation in DER-VET by directly incurring a penalty in the optimization.

MACRS Term

Tag	Key	Description
*	macrs_term	In the United States, the modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS) determines how asset depreciation can be calculated for tax deductions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MACRS). This input should match the MACRS schedule that most closely applies to the asset being modeled.

Minimum Rated Capacity

Tag	Key	Description
*	min_rated_capacity	Not to be confused with a DER's minimum generating power, this input constrains a size optimization problem. When doing size optimization, the DER's power capacity will never be less than this number. This can be set to 0 to ignore.

Maximum Rated Capacity

Tag	Key	Description
*	max_rated_capacity	Not to be confused with a DER's maximum generating power, this input constrains a size optimization problem. When doing size optimization, the DER's power capacity will never be more than this number. This can be set to 0 to ignore and apply no maximum.

Construction Year

Tag	Key	Description
*	construction_year	This is the year that a DER's capital costs will be applied to the benefit-cost analysis, assumed to be the year that construction begins. Depending on the asset type, this could be several years before the equipment is operational.

Operation Year

Tag	Key	Description
*	operation_year	This is the year that a DER will start providing value through operation. Before this year, the DER will not provide any power, participate in any services, or do anything.

Expected Lifetime

Tag	Key	Description
*	expected_lifetime	How many years will the technology last? For energy storage systems with degradation turned on, DER-VET will use the expected lifetime for size optimization (ignoring degradation). In this case the expected lifetime should be checked against degradation results from DER-VET to ensure they are close.

Replaceable

Tag	Key	Description
*	replaceable	This binary (0 or 1) input determines if a DER will be replaced (1) or not (0) when it reaches its end of life, whether by degradation or by reaching its expected lifetime.

Decommissioning Cost

Tag	Key	Description
*	decommissioning_cost	This cost is applied to the benefit-cost analysis when a non-replaceable DER reaches its end of life or the end of the analysis window is reached. This can be negative to account for recycling value.

Salvage Value

Tag	Key	Description
*	salvage_value	Salvage value is applied at the end of the analysis window to capture any remaining useful life in DERs that have not reached their end of life. The "sunk cost" option means that there is no end of analysis value (salvage value = 0), "linear salvage value" means DER-VET will calculate salvage value by multiplying the technology's capital cost by (remaining life/total life), or simply input a $ value to specify the salvage value of the technology.

Replacement Construction Time

Tag	Key	Description
*	replacement_construction_time	How many years the DER takes to be replaced. DER-VET assumes the DER will be in operation when being replaced - this input is only used to determine how many years in advance to apply a replacement cost before the replacement is actually completed.

Replacement Cost

Tag	Key	Description
*	rcost	Similar to a DER's capital cost, this input represents the fixed portion of a DER's replacement cost (does not scale with power or energy capacity). This cost will be applied to the benefit-cost analysis before the equipment is replaced (the number of years before is indicated by the replacement construction time). This input will be escalated by the DER's technology escalation rate to calculate the future-year nominal cost of replacement.

Replacement Cost per kW

Tag	Key	Description
*	rcost_kW	Similar to a DER's capital cost per kW, this input represents the portion of a DER's replacement cost that scales with the DER's power capacity. This cost will be applied to the benefit-cost analysis before the equipment is replaced (the number of years before is indicated by the replacement construction time). This input will be escalated by the DER's technology escalation rate to calculate the future-year nominal cost of replacement.

Replacement Cost per kWh

Tag	Key	Description
*	rcost_kWh	Similar to a DER's capital cost per kW, this input represents the portion of a DER's replacement cost that scales with the DER's energy capacity. This cost will be applied to the benefit-cost analysis before the equipment is replaced (the number of years before is indicated by the replacement construction time). This input will be escalated by the DER's technology escalation rate to calculate the future-year nominal cost of replacement.

Annual Charge Rate

Tag	Key	Description
*	acr	This is a financial parameter that is only used when the ecc_mode is 1. This input determines the fraction of capital costs that are attributable to any year of the technology's life.

Technology Escalation Rate

Tag	Key	Description
*	ter	This is a financial parameter that is used to escalate the cost of a technology over time (negative if the cost is decreasing) in nominal terms for economic carrying cost calculations and replacement costs.

Economic Carrying Cost Percent

Tag	Key	Description
*	ecc%	The economic carrying cost percent is a financial parameter only used when ecc_mode is 1. This is usually calculated based on the annual charge rate, technology escalation rate, discount rate, and equipment lifetime. (see benefit cost analysis)

Project-wide Fuel Costs

Note that as of v1.2, all fuel costs are handled in the Finance section and apply to any DER in the project that consume each type of fuel. Individual technologies no longer incur their own, independent fuel costs. Instead, each DER consumes fuel of a particular type specified by their fuel_type input and this incurs a cost based on that fuel type's cost which is specified in the finance section.

Electric Technologies

Energy Storage

Solar PV (and wind)

Internal Combustion Engine

Controllable Load (Demand Response)

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)

Electric Vehicle

Electric and Thermal Technologies

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

Thermal Technologies

Boiler

Chiller