HOMER Overview

1
HOMER Overview

• Dr. Peter Lilienthal
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• April 26, 2007
• Free Training Workshop Tomorrow

2
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-of-use
  rates, flow batteries, real time prices

3
Fundamental HOMER Question

• What (set of) technology(ies) is most
  cost-effective?

• Micropower
• Renewables
• Fossil
• Cogeneration
• Hybrids

A confused mind says No!
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Fundamental HOMER Answer

• It depends.
• Resources
• Loads
• Equipment prices
• Equipment performance
• Many different applications

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Simulation - Optimization - Sensitivity Analysis

• Simulation
• Accurate analysis of time varying loads and
  resources require an hour-by-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
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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

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Answers from HOMER

• Optimal System Design
• Cost Breakdowns and Comparisons
• Resource Analysis
• Technology Development Targets
• Policy Analysis
• Operational Analysis

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Optimal System Design

• What kind of system is best under which
  conditions?

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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?
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Cost Breakdowns and Comparisons
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Resource Analysis
Complimentary resources Compare different
resources

• Examine impacts of
• azimuth tilt with TOU rates
• tower height power curve

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Technology Development Targets

• What is the required decrease in fuel cell cost?
• What is the required increase in lifetime?

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Policy Analysis

• Cost of emission constraints

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Operational Analysis

• When is backup power needed?

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Other HOMER Applications

• Net Metering
• Time of day rates
• Emissions
• Irrigation in the Central Valley

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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
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September 2006
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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.

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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

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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

• 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

PPG Inc PPL Energy Services Proton Energy
Systems PSEG 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 Southe
rn 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
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Availability

• HOMER can be downloaded at no cost from
  www.nrel.gov/homer .
• Register for tomorrows training workshop
• For more information
• Dr. Peter Lilienthal
• 303-384-7444 office
• 303-204-3575 mobile
• peter_lilienthal_at_nrel.gov