HOMER Overview
Dr. Peter Lilienthal
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
April 26, 2007
Free Training Workshop Tomorrow
History
• 1993 Village Power
– Internal NREL use
• 1998 Version 1.0
– Publicly available Windows application
• 2001 Version 2.0
– Grid-connected systems, multiple diesels,
cogen, hydrogen, emissions
• 2006 Version 2.2
– Web link for solar resource data, time-ofuse rates, flow batteries, real time prices
Fundamental HOMER Question
What (set of) technology(ies)
is most cost-effective?
– Micropower
– Renewables
– Fossil
–Cogeneration
– Hybrids
A confused mind says “No!”
Fundamental HOMER Answer
• It depends.
– Resources
– Loads
– Equipment prices
– Equipment performance
• Many different applications
Simulation - Optimization Sensitivity Analysis
• Simulation
– Accurate analysis of time varying
loads and resources require an hourby-hour analysis for entire year
• Optimization
– Find the least cost solution
• Sensitivity Analysis
– The data is never “good enough”.
– What if….?
Sensitivity Analysis
Optimization
Simulation
Hourly Energy Balance
HOMER is Flexible
• Rough estimated inputs for general
analysis
– Annual averages for resources and loads
– Cost per kW or unit for equipment
• Detailed inputs for system design
– Measured hourly data
– Detailed cost curves
– Create your own wind turbine, battery,
fuels
Answers from HOMER
•
•
•
•
•
•
Optimal System Design
Cost Breakdowns and Comparisons
Resource Analysis
Technology Development Targets
Policy Analysis
Operational Analysis
Optimal System Design
• What kind
of system
is best
under
which
conditions?
Wind-Diesel Cogeneration
What is the minimum fuel price for wind-diesel to be
cost-effective?
Does it depend on the size of the thermal load?
Cost Breakdowns and Comparisons
Resource Analysis
kW/m2
1.20
Global Solar Radiation
24
1.08
0.96
Hour of Day
Complimentary resources
Compare different resources
18
0.84
0.72
0.60
12
0.48
0.36
0.24
6
0.12
0.00
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Day of Year
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Examine impacts of:
• azimuth & tilt with TOU rates
• tower height & power curve
Technology Development Targets
Optimal System Type
1.0
System Types
Grid/MT
Grid/Dsl
Grid
0.8
Grid/FC
FC Capital Multiplier
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0.3
0.4
0.5
Diesel Price ($/L)
0.6
0.7
What is the required decrease in fuel cell cost?
What is the required increase in lifetime?
Policy Analysis
Levelized Cost of Energy vs. Max. CO2 Emissions
1.2
Levelized Cost of Energy ($/kWh)
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0
5,000
10,000
Max. CO2 Em issions (kg/yr)
15,000
• Cost of emission constraints
Operational Analysis
AC Primary Load
PV Pow er
Diesel Pow er
Battery Pow er
5
Power (kW)
0
-5
Jul 10
Jul 11
• When is backup power needed?
Other HOMER Applications
•
•
•
•
Net Metering
Time of day rates
Emissions
Irrigation in the Central Valley
HOMER Around the World
• Over 14,000 total downloads
• 184 countries
• Over 2,600 active users
Top countries:
Canada, Australia, Spain,
Germany, U.K, France,
Italy, Greece
India, Brazil, Mexico,
Thailand, China, Chile,
Philippines
September 2006
3656 HOMER Users in the United States
Other, 176
NGO, 133
For-profit
company, 917
Government,
296
Individuals,
1138
Academic,
996
September 2006
Selected US Applications
• GE 27 registered users developing new technologies and
distributed generation projects
• Northern Power Systems “HOMER is a unique and
valuable tool for our core business. HOMER represents the
state-of-the-art for analysis of these applications.”
• Southwest Windpower created marketing and dealer
education materials with HOMER.
• Sharp Solar Systems “found HOMER to be incredibly
robust and the best application available for system comparison
among the 15 or so programs covered.”
More Private Sector Applications
•
Manufacturers
– Capstone, Plug Power, Cummins, John Deere
– Propane Education and Research Council
• Designing new engine designs for hybrids
•
Energy Service Companies
– Noresco worked with FEMP to develop renewable projects
•
Venture Capital
– Black Emerald, Chevron Technology Ventures
•
Center for Army Analysis
– Transportable Hybrid Electric Power Stations
•
Storage Technologies
– ZBB, Beacon Power, Powercorp
– VRB funded major enhancements to HOMER
•
Islands
– Alaska requiring HOMER analysis for all retrofits to 181 diesel-powered
villages
– Hawaii & Trust Territories using HOMER for EPACT compliance
– Major international market for liquid fueled grids
•
System Integrators
– Black & Veatch
– Draker Solar designing ground water remediation projects
Selected US Industry HOMER users
ABB
Aerovironment
Air Products
Alaska Energy and Engineering
Altair Energy
Ameresco
Antares
Applied Materials
Appplied Power Corporation
APS
Aquila
Architectural Energy
AWS Scientific
Barber-Nichols
Beacon Power
Bechtel
Bergey Windpower
Black & Veatch
Black Emerald Group
Blue Sky Engineering
Boeing Phantom Works
Boeing
Booz Allen Hamilton
BP America
Bristol Bay Native Corp.
Capstone Turbine
CH2M Hill
Chemonics International
Chevron Technology Ventures
Cinergy Corp
Community Power Corporation
Consolidated Edison of New York
CORE International
Cummins Power Generation
Distributed Generation Systems, Inc.
Distributed Utility Associates
Draker Solar Design
DTE Energy Technologies
E3 Energy Services, Inc.
Econergy
Energy and Security Group
Energy Conversion Devices
Entegrity Wind Systems Inc
Florida Power and Light
GE
General Atomics
Global Energy Concepts
Green Mountain Engineering
GridPoint
GT Energy LLC
Hamilton Sundstrand
Hawaii Electric Light Company
Honeywell International
ICF Consulting
Intelligent Energy
Itron
John Deere
Kyocera Solar, Inc
Lorax Energy Systems, LLC
MidAmerican Energy Holdings
Navigant Consulting
Nevada Power Company
Nexant Inc.
Noresco
Northern Power Systems
ORMAT INTERNATIONAL
PA Consulting Group
PERI
Pinnacle Technology, Inc.
Plug Power
Polarconsult Alaska, Inc.
Powercorp Alaska
PPG Inc
PPL Energy Services
Proton Energy Systems
PSE&G
Puget Sound Energy
Red Mountain Energy Partners
Remote Power Inc.
Resource Dynamics Corp.
Rolls-Royce Corp.
RWE Schott Solar Inc.
Sacred Power Corporation
Scripps Howard
SDGE
Sempra Energy Services
Sentech, Inc.
Shaw PTI
Siemens Building Technologies
Southern States Power Company, Inc
Southwest PV Systems, Inc.
Southwest Windpower
Spire Corporation
Square D Company
SunWize Technologies
Sustainable Automation
TDX Power, Inc.
Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group
Texaco
The AES Corporation
Trexler and Associates
United Parcel Service
United Technologies
Vail resorts
VRB Power Systems Inc
WorldWater Corporation
XCel Energy
ZBB Technologies, Inc
Availability
• HOMER can be downloaded at no cost from:
www.nrel.gov/homer .
• Register for tomorrow’s training workshop
• For more information:
– Dr. Peter Lilienthal
• 303-384-7444 office
• 303-204-3575 mobile
• peter_lilienthal@nrel.gov