System Advisor Model (SAM) Release Notes
This is the first maintenance update to SAM 2023.12.17.
This version introduces a set of new hybrid power system models and a new molten salt linear Fresnel models for electric power generation and industrial process heat (IPH) applications.
For a complete list of code revisions associated with this version, see the SAM and SSC GitHub repositories. Highlights include:
We are working to fix known SAM issues and SSC issues for an update to this version in early 2024. Please let us know if you find any other problems.
This major new feature adds configurations for hybrid power systems. (SAM 1448 and multiple subsequent pull requests, SSC 1051)
Hybrid power systems combine photovoltaic (PVWatts or Detailed PV), Wind Power, Fuel Cell, and Generic System models for power generation with the Standalone Battery model for electricity storage. Battery dispatch responds to the sum of power from the PV, wind, fuel cell and/or generic systems in each time step. The hybrid system performance models are available with either the Single Owner for front-of-meter applications or the Third Party Host / Developer financial model for behind-the-meter applications. As is the case for all of SAM's models, SAM assumes the hybrid system is connected to the grid. The new hybrid configurations are available for the following combinations of performance models:
This is the third maintenance update to SAM 2022.11.21.
This is the second maintenance update to SAM 2022.11.21.
This is the first maintenance update to SAM 2022.11.21.
This new version introduces a new Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) model and consists of several improvements and updates. For a complete list of code revisions associated with this version, see the SAM and SSC GitHub repositories. Highlights include:
The following is a list of outstanding issues we plan to address for an update to this version in early 2023. For a complete list see SAM and SSC repositories:
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2021.12.02 Revision 1.
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2021.12.02.
This new version consists of several improvements and updates. Highlights include:
With this release, we have updated SAM's implementation to PVWatts V8 (pvwattsv8 in SSC) with new features listed below. The online PVWatts® Calculator continues to use pvwattsv5 and will be updated later. All versions of PVWatts are available via the SAM Software Development Kit and PySAM. (729)
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2020.11.29 Revision 1.
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2020.11.29.
This new version consists of several improvements and updates. Highlights include:
In the following list of changes, numbers in parentheses are links to detailed descriptions and code on the SAM or SSC GitHub repositories.
This is an update to SAM 2020.2.29 Revision 2 that fixes the issues listed beow. For detailed descriptions of issues fixed for this update, see GitHub Issues for SAM 2020.2.29 Patch 3 and for SSC 2020 Patch 3.
c:/sam/2020.2.29/x64/sam.exe no_sam_file c:/my-script.lk.This is an update to SAM 2020.2.29 Revision 1 that fixes the issues listed beow. For detailed descriptions of issues fixed for this update, see GitHub Issues for SAM 2020.2.29 Patch 2.
This is an update to SAM 2020.2.29 that fixes the issues listed below. For detailed descriptions of issues fixed for this update, see GitHub Issues for SAM 2020.2.29 Patch 1.
This version introduces several new models and features in addition to enhancements to existing models:
For details about work done for this release, see GitHub Issues for SAM 2020.2.29 release.
New model configuration selection tree for choosing models when creating a case to make it easier to find models.
Check for Updates now works for both new software versions and revision number changes within a given version.
LK script fixes to to_int() function.
Fix Combine Cases macro to correctly assign cost to user input in Generic System case.
Discontinue support for 32-bit Windows versions of SAM Simulation Core (SSC).
All models now include a Grid Limits page for interconnection limits and curtailment to model operational limits imposed by grid operators or regulatory institutions. Availability is a separate input to model operational downtime that the system owner controls such as for maintenance.
Change minute time stamp from 0 to 30 and update data to include GHI data for small collection of default weather files that come with SAM.
Fix time stamp issue with weather file converter macro for SolarAnywhere files.
Daily AC and DC losses by year inputs for simulation over analysis period option automatically sets array length to the product of 365 days and analysis period in years.
Update CEC module and inverter libraries.
Fix tilt = latitude bug.
Fix bug with PDF report for systems with multiple subarrays.
Fix bug with 3D Shade Calculator returning time zone of zero.
Add simulation warning for one-axis tracking when tilt angle is not zero.
Fix problem when weather file contains POA data only.
Fix problems with inverter input voltage calculations and MPPT limit ratings.
Support simulations with custom time periods, available in pvsamv1 via API only.
New transient thermal cell temperature model
Update from PVWatts V5 to PVWatts V7:
| Module Type | Approximate Nominal Efficiency (%) V5 / V7 |
Module Cover V5 / V7 |
Temperature Coefficient of Power (%/°C) V5 / V7 |
Fill Factor (for self-shading) V5 / V7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (crystalline Silicon) | 15 / 17 | Glass / Anti-reflective | -0.47 / -0.37 | None / 77.1% |
| Premium (crystalline Silicon) | 19 / 20.1 | Anti-reflective | -0.35 / -0.35 | None / 80.1% |
| Thin film | 10 / 15.6 | Glass / Anti-reflective | -0.20 / -0.32 | None / 70.6% |
The following new features in PVWatts V7 are in SAM Simulation Core (SSC) (accessible via the SAM SDK) but not in SAM:
Add simulation warning for one-axis tracking when tilt angle is not zero.
Fix problem with battery voltage and temperature model units.
Fix bug with battery chemsitry selection, loss inputs, and lifetime simulation.
Separate battery storage model configurations from the Detailed PV and Generic System configurations with a new "Battery Storage" category in the performance model list. (Inputs for the simple battery model are still on the PVWatts System Design input page.)
Convert some inputs to drop-down lists to make user interface less cluttered.
New performance model for marine wave energy systems.
New performance model for marine tidal energy systems.
New performance model for photovoltaic array with fuel cell and optional battery storage.
Fix issues with numeric solver "monotonic equation solver" used by CSP models.
A new Rankine cycle air-cooled condenser model that calculates turbine back pressure as a function of ambient temperature and cycle heat rejection load. The model uses a normalized polynomial function scaled to ambient temperature at design and minimum condenser pressure. This new model may result in lower total annual output compared to SAM 2018.11.11 and older versions of SAM because at full load heat rejection when the ambient dry-bulb temperature is greater than 10°C, the new model calculates a higher condenser pressure. For the default Molten Salt Power Tower case in SAM, this happens for about 60% of the year, resulting in reduction in total annual electricity output of about 2%.
New inputs that don't appear in UI like startup_ramp_time and startup_target_Tdiff.
Fix bug with display of "Turbine inlet pressure control" list in user interface.
Fix bug with power cycle evaporative cooling option.
Fix bug for power cycle sizes greater than 150 MW when all other inputs are left at their default values.
Reorganize inputs so that sizing inputs are on new System Design page.
Add dispatch optimization algorithm and inputs on new System Control page. Note that the fossil backup option was removed as part of this work
Fix bug in header pipe calculation to conserve mass flow.
Fix bug for power cycle sizes greater than 150 MW when all other inputs are left at their default values.
Fix physical trough HCE pipe roughness calculations.
Fix annulus gas pressure (torr) variable name for consistency between molten salt and direct steam models.
New system control model with dispatch optimization on System Control page.
Add new uncertainty analysis per IEC 61400-15 guidelines.
Add new loss inputs.
Fix bug with icing cutoff use of relative humidity data.
Add wind direction weibull distribution to results.
Add average annual wind speed as a result.
Custom mains profile input simplified to annual array instead of annual or monthly options.
Improve user interface and documentation to clarify that Biopower model requires weather file with GHI data.
New financial model for power projects that sell power at hourly or subhourly energy market rates with optional revenue from capacity payments and ancillary services.
The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) models include single owner, partnership flip with and without debt, and sale leaseback.
PPA price input as array of annual values.
Send to Excel with Equations now works for partnership flip and sale leaseback models.
New optional additional revenue from capacity or curtailment payments.
New optional grid interconnection limits and curtailment.
New Revenue input page for Solution Mode and revenue sources from PPA, and optional capacity or curtailment payments.
Time of Delivery (TOD) factors moved to Revenue page.
Cashflow send-to-Excel with equations fixes for third party ownership host-developer and PPA models.
Behind-the-meter financial models include the residential and commercial models.
Both by and sell rates can be specified as hourly or subhourly values instead of using time-of-use schedules and periods.
New critical load inputs and resiliency metrics for results.
Residential load data not available for Alaska locations for Download Electric Load macro.
New optional grid interconnection limits and curtailment.
Fix metering option variable labels in SSC utilityrate5 modules to match SAM user interface.
Update Value of RE script to work with URDB CSV file.
Third-party ownership models include the Third Party Ownership / Host and Third Party Ownership / Host-Developer models.
Fix Host NPV in Send to Excel with Equations workbook.
Fix issues with PDF report when developer NPV is positive and host NPV is negative.
New optional grid interconnection limits and curtailment.
This new version introduces new models for third party ownership, bifacial photovoltaic modules, multiple maximum power point trackers for photovoltaic systems, and accesses the latest solar resource data (PSM V3) from the National Solar Radiation Database. It also includes enhancements to the battery storage and CSP parabolic trough models.
This is the most recent version to include the Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) model. It has been removed from later versions due to incompatibility with updates to components it shares with other CSP models. If you would like to use the ISCC model, please download and install SAM 2018.11.11.
Update assumptions for default configurations.
Update user documentation.
Fix stochastic simulations running on Mac OS.
Fix issues with time series data viewer in Mac OS.
Update getting started script for India to use PVWatts so system size scales correctly.
Add new parametric import and export functions to LK scripting language.
Improve weather file download for models that use solar resource data to access data from the NREL National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB). SAM downloads typical meteorological year (TMY) files from the Physical Solar Model (PSM) Version 3 dataset by default, and provides options for downloading single year data, multiple files at a time for different locations or for P50/P90 simulations, and for downloading legacy data from the older NSRDB datasets.
Remove out-of-date weather files from default library.
Improve error reporting when weather file has more than one year's worth of data.
Add support for subhourly data in weather files using the EPW format.
Add support for PVsyst ang PVGIS weather data column labels in the SAM CSV format.
Add check for missing values in weather files using the EPW format.
Add support for systems with multiple power point trackers (MPPT) with a new inverter input variable for number of MPPT inputs on the Inverter input page.
Add option for modeling bifacial modules with new variables on the Module input page.
Add new macro for optimizing subarray layout given area constraints imposed by rooftop size or available land.
Improve system sizing macro.
Improve System Design input page to streamline system sizing work flow.
Add new inverter temperature model.
Remove misleading error message about using the snow model with one-axis tracking.
Add AC capacity factor as an output variable available on the Data Tables tab.
Enable albedo for parametric simulations.
Display bandgap voltage assumptions for single-diode models.
Update CEC module and inverter libraries with CEC data as of November 4, 2018. Remove inverters with bad data from library.
Fixed issue with voltage calculation for subarray mismatch algorithm. GitHub Issue SSC 191.
Add implementation of Mermoud/Lejeune module model to SSC. This model option is not available in the SAM user interface, but can be accessed via the SSC API using the SAM Software Development Kit (SDK). GitHub Issue SSC 26.
Disable tilt and azimuth variables as appropriate based on tracking option.
This new model for third party ownership of a photovoltaic system on a residential or commercial property is from the developer's perspective to determine the power price the developer charges the host to meet the developer's costs and return requirements.
Rename the Third Party Host model from older versions of SAM. The Host model is from the host's perspective to compare a lease agreement to a power purchase agreement.
Enable load download macros for third party ownership financial models.
Fix production-based incentive and payback calculations in Send-to-Excel with equations. This was an issue in the workbook, not with SAM results.
Change labels for excess generation options to standard names for net energy metering, net billing, etc.
Fix issue with calculation of credits for excess generation. GitHub Issue SSC 154
Add battery storage to the Generic System model.
For systems with batteries using the PPA Single Owner financial models, enable Electricity Rates input page to account for the cost of charging the battery and supplying inverter night-time load from the grid and add cost of retail electricity purchases to the project cash flow.
Fix issue with initial state of charge (SOC) not being applied correctly.
Include PV DC and AC losses in power values used for front-of-meter and behind-the-meter battery configurations. GitHub Issue SSC 137
Fix issue with battery replacements. GitHub Issue SSC 55.
Fix several issues with dispatch, lifetime, power flow calculations.
Header sizing algorithm considers all sections when progressively downsizing the diameters.
Internal energy of the inlet, outlet, and crossover piping (IOCOP) now fully accounted for.
Runner pressure drop calculation accurately counts expansions and contractions.
Calculation of thermal energy storage (TES) and steam generator system (SGS) piping volumes now more precise.
Script templates added for implementing new features.
Runner and header diameter sizing algorithm revamped:
Calculates (and outputs) HTF properties at design conditions in each pipe section:
Added configurable parameters for solar field:
Added configurable parameters for thermal energy storage (TES)/power block (PB):
Separate design velocities added for sizing hot and cold headers.
Custom TES/PB piping pressure drop calculation option based on Darcy-Weisbach and custom minor pressure losses.
Now reporting TES/PB, runner, header, and loop pipe lengths, diameters, wall thicknesses and number of expansion loops. Minus the number of expansion loops, these output values can be modified and read-in as custom values for subsequent model runs.
Configurable interconnects have been added that replace hard coded component sizes and associated losses, at the inlet, outlet, crossover, and connections between solar collector assemblies (SCAs). Utilized using the following component and component assembly (interconnect) input files, with example usage in the script templates:
Collection (field) and generation (TES/PB) loops have been decoupled. This allows for storage tanks in series with the field in direct storage configurations.
Unit tests have been added to continually verify functions perform as designed.
Improve user-defined power cycle input tables and documentation.
Internal improvements to SolarPILOT calculations.
Dish Stirling model annual energy increased by 8% due to the new weather file format.
Fix issue with WIND Toolkit data time zone. SAM assumes time stamps are in local time, not UTC. Only affects projects with load data or time-depending electricity prices.
Add LCOE optimizer.
Update and fix bugs in code.
Calculate capacity factor from net nameplate capacity instead of gross nameplate capacity.
Add battery storage.
This update restores a few items that were omitted from the SAM 2017.9.5 Revision 3 update and addresses one new issue.
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.9.5 Revision 2:
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.9.5 Revision 1:
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.9.5:
Summary: This version is the first to be built from the new SAM open source repositories. It also includes new capabilities for downloading weather files from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB), and a new direct thermal energy storage model for the industrial process heat physical trough model.
Added ability to download different types of files from National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) for SAM's solar models. It is now possible to download individual single-year files, multiple weather files for P50/P90 analysis, and legacy data directly from SAM.
Added weather file checking for for missing temperature or wind speed values.
Updated the Inverter Sizing Information macro to give more information, and renamed it to System Sizing Information.
Fixed kWh/kW metric for subhourly simulations.
Fixed units for GHI data in results.
Fixed problems with PDF report for effective tax rate
Improved battery sizing workflow and interface.
Comprehensive reworking of flow battery inputs and model.
Added a calendar-life model for lithium-ion batteries, and a tabular calendar life degradation input for other chemistries.
Added an iron-flow battery to the list of default types.
Improved battery dispatch control.
Fixed several problems with battery model combined with PPA financial model:
Added direct thermal energy storage. The default solar multiple has increased from 1 to 2.5 and the default for the new input hours of thermal storage is 6.
Added an input for the wind speed at which the trough is stowed. The default wind stow speed is 25 m/s.
Changed controller messages from runtime warnings to notices to minimize information displayed after a simulation. Click the Notices button at the top right of the SAM window to see the messages.
Improved numeric convergence in the annual simulation and results in fewer simulation crashes.
Changed controller messages from runtime warnings to notices to minimize information displayed after a simulation. Click the Notices button at the top right of the SAM window to see the messages.
Modified the structure by which the tower compute module (cmod_tcsmolten_salt) is called, which affects scripting and API functions. Previously-created LK scripts that are executed using the new SAM release may require modification. The changes occurred in the variable table, in which redundant variables were removed, and the only variable inputs that remain are the minimal set that fully define the system geometry. That is, no calculated parameters are passed as inputs under the new structure. This change simplifies scripting to eliminate the need to provide calculated values as inputs.
Changed some messages from runtime warnings to notices to minimize information displayed after a simulation. Click the Notices button at the top right of the SAM window to see the messages.
Significant changes to the way that SAM corrects power curves for air density. SAM was previously using an older correction method that was appropriate for stall-regulated turbines, but the majority of modern turbines are pitch-regulated. These are better represented by a different correction for air density, which is now implemented. This new method will increase energy production values significantly for turbines at high elevation sites. A description of these two air density calculation methods can be found at https://www.scribd.com/document/38818683/PO310-EWEC2010-Presentation.
Fixed a problem with saving TOD Factors data to text file.
Reorganized TOD Factors input page to improve usability of time series TOD factor inputs.
For partnership flip with debt model, fixed problem with accounting of Cost of Development fee in cash flow.
Added median() function to the LK scripting language.
Added a macro to interpolate solar resource data from hourly to subhourly time resolution.
Improved PV sizing information macro.
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.1.17 Revision 3:
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.1.17 Revision 2:
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.1.17 Revision 1:
This is a maintenance update that fixes the following issues in SAM 2017.1.17:
Summary: This version adds new capabilities to the photovoltaic, battery storage, concentrating solar power, and wind performance models, as well as new models for solar process heat applications. In addition, major updates to the utility bill calculations allow greater flexiblity for correctly capturing the nuances of complex rate structures. The scripting features have also been improved, and streamlined use of the SAM Software Development Kit (SDK) is possible using the new SDK code generator.
Added an inverter model coefficient calculator that directly accepts inverter efficiency test data for inverters not included in the database. Efficiency data at six different power levels (10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 75% and 100%) and three different voltages (Vmin, Vnom, Vmax) is required as input.
Added a simple transformer loss model using datasheet no-load loss and full-load loss specifications.
Added the ability to automate the 3D shading scene construction and loss calculations using LK scripting.
Added a fixed seasonal tilt input option.
Fixed several bugs and improved usability of the partial obstruction shading model.
Added daily DC and AC lifetime loss inputs.
Added DC and AC curtailment input options.
Greatly improved simulation speed when using automated battery model dispatch.
Improved user interface for self shading inputs.
Reorganized PV model hourly outputs to improve clarity.
Fixed bug with voltage mismatch calculation when using only one subarray.
Fixed bug with degradation calculations when using multiple subarrays.
Updated default PV costs for all markets.
Updated default DC/AC ratio to 1.2.
Added option for modeling batteries at the utility scale with manual dispatch.
Improved dispatch controller using an iterative algorithm that checks battery constraints at the end of the dispatch, and redispatches until all constraints are met (minimum or maximum state-of-charge, charging from grid when disallowed, exporting PV to grid when can charge battery, etc).
Added options to model DC-connected battery system topologies.
Added a Vanadium Redox Flow battery voltage model and default parameters.
Added a simplified battery model option to PVWatts with automatic peak shaving dispatch.
Added AC and DC battery and controller losses to the system loss diagram.
Added a simplified battery model option to PVWatts with automatic peak shaving dispatch.
Updated default PV costs for all markets.
Updated default DC/AC ratio to 1.2.
Added new solar process heat models using a trough or steam linear fresnel solar collectors.
Implemented a number of enhancements to the dispatch optimization algorithm, including:
Implementation of availablity schedules for solar field production
Improvement to solar field optimization to allow for explicit consideration of the maximum flux constraint. Using the algorithm 'BOBYQA', the flux is now directly limited via a linearized constraint, rather than included in the optimization objective function via a penalty factor. This improves the reliability of the solar field optimization algorithm. Note that other algorithm options have been removed, along with the flux over-design penalty input.
Default values for the heliostat field, receiver, and tower have been updated
See "Molten Salt Power Tower" notes regarding solar field optimization.
Default values for the heliostat field, receiver, and tower have been updated
Fixed the Evacuated Receiver field modeling option to use the correct assumptions implied by the "Broken Glass" checkbox. Bug in previous model resulted in simulation of the opposite case.
Fixed the IAM calculation used to model the collector/receiver optical performance. Bug in previous version used the traverse incidence angle in both the Traverse and Longitudinal IAM polynomials.
Added solar field availability and curtailment losses dialog to allow constant, time-period, and hourly specification
Updated default values
The Generic CSP System model was restructured and now uses different regression equations for thermal losses, power block conversion efficiency, and parasitic consumption. This change invalidates previous model configurations and requires revised input values. For more information on generating regression coefficients, view help or visit the SAM website.
Added DNI adjustment for parasitic loads
Added exergy correction model for thermal storage charge state
Removed redundant output variables to improve clarity.
Updated units of some output variables for improved consistency.
Added nearly 200 wind turbine power curves.
Fixed bug with how cut-in wind speed was calculated for turbines in the library.
Fixed bug with the Weibull resource plot on the wind resource input page.
Added a sales tax taxable basis input to the wind cost page.
Updated default costs for all markets.
Updated default turbine selection for some markets.
Added wind turbine power curve as a model output.
Fixed bug to correctly apply availability and curtailment losses when using the Weibull distribution resource model.
Added offshore balance of system cost model.
Added wind resource data file range checks on data values.
Added ability to handle negative inflation and real discount rates.
Added state and federal tax yearly tax holidays.
Added fixed principal declining interest loan payback option.
Added fractional month calculations for all reserve accounts.
Added receivables reserve account bases on ppa revenue.
Added loan moratorium to debt fraction loan repayment option.
Improved the organization of cash flow line items in the results.
Added return on equity (ROE) input for modeling specific financing scenarios in international locations.
Added new 'Value of RE' macro to model utility rate switching.
Added ability to handle negative inflation and real discount rates.
Added state and federal tax yearly tax holidays.
Minor update to the financial input page to improve clarity.
Updated all default parameters to be consistent with the NREL Annual Technology Baseline report.
Improved options for monthly accounting of excess generation.
Updated monthly outputs to include year end dollar rollovers.
Added additional monthly outputs to balance monthly bill with energy charges and credits.
Added ability to handle negative inflation and real discount rates.
Added option to specify hourly or subhourly sell rates.
Fixed a bug in that caused occasional crashes when assigning a value to a variable that was stored on the right hand side as an element in a complex data structure having the same variable name. e.g. x = x[1];
Added the SDK Code Generator that will create C/C++, Java, MATLAB, PHP 5/7, VBA, C#, or Python 2/3 template code files for a SAM case.
New script-based plotting features for filled or unfilled 2D contour plots, reversed axes, sector plots, color bars, GIF animations, and graphic and textual annotations.
Fixed issue with setting working folder when running scripts through the LK debugger.
Allow option to break into LK debugger if a script error occurs.
Revised curl() function for more control of processing http/https requests.
Added JSON read/write functions.
Fixed bug in switch statment ( ? x [ 1, 2, 3 ] ) processing.
Allow lazy syntax in table initialization, e.g. x = { a=1, b='text', c=14.9 };
Updated dview() function syntax to remove scaling factor option and added option to indicate which dataset should be selected in the viewer by default.
Added new progressbar() function.
Fixed bug in stable_sort() function, and added optional parameter for column sorting.
Added macrocall() function to allow calling SAM Macros from within a script.
Display rendering improvements for high-DPI screens.
Fixed bug in P50/P90 simulation for user-specified P-values.
Fixed a bug in the 'Combine Cases' macro.
This is a maintenance update that fixes an NSRDB download issue in SAM 2016.3.14 Revision 3:
This is a maintenance update with one new feature and that fixes several issues:
This is a maintenance update that fixes several issues:
This is a maintenance update that fixes several issues:
This version adds new capabilities to the photovoltaic, battery storage, and molten salt power tower performance models with a new model for integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) concentrating solar power plants. This version also adds new electricity metering options and other electricity rate improvements to the residential and commercial financial models. It includes a new data browser for tabular results and many enhancements to the LK scripting language.
This is a maintenance update that fixes several issues:
Revision 4 replaces Revision 3, which had a display issue on some Windows computers.
This is a maintenance update that fixes several issues:
This is a maintenance update that fixes several issues:
This is a major release that introduces several new models:
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2015.1.30 that fixes critical issues with the Molten Salt Linear Fresnel and Physical Trough models and several other smaller bugs as listed below.
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2014.11.24 that addresses several important bugs and adds new features:
Updated user documentation
Updated default PPA prices, internal rate of return, and real discount rate inputs to be more representative of current market conditions
Removed duplicate annual energy outputs
Fixed bug in which cash flow display was not displaying all years of analysis period
Fixed bug with rendering of macro list when changing models
Updated cashflow send-to-excel to handle fuel costs and TOD price factors
Changed availability and curtailment inputs from factors with values between 0 and 1 to losses with values between 0 and 100%
Added a search box to results data table list to filter variables by name
Fixed a problem with rendering of unicode characters in PDF reports in OS X
Electricity rate search box can now resolve duplicate names for the same utility
Electricity rate lookup by zip code
Electricity rates with flat buy and sell rates without net metering now trued up on an hourly basis instead of monthly basis
Updated diurnal demand charge TOU schedule requirement for rates that have only a flat monthly demand charge
In specify target IRR mode, changed initial guess in PPA price search algorithm to 0 instead of using value of disabled PPA price input
Fixed recapitalization bug
Improved reporting of invalide results
Fixed algorithm to correctly handle a target IRR input value of zero
Bug fix in azimuth x altitude shading table input
Fixed bugs with module I-V plots on the CEC Performance model with user entered specifications
Fixed unit conversion bug for temperature coefficients in CEC Performance model with User Entered Specifications
Total module area on System Design page now updates appropriately
GCR limit increased to 3 to be consistent with PVWatts
Fixed bug in auxiliary gas heater macro
Generic CSP- updated thermal storage to work with dispatch factors
Molten salt linear Fresnel: Added option for electric or fossil storage freeze protection
Fixed bug when thermal energy storage is set to 0
Fixed problems occuring with user-defined heat transfer fluids
Updated Linear Fresnel and CSP Tower cost defaults
Rearranged inputs on Molten Salt Power Tower- Tower and Receiver input page
Updated wind defaults to not include the ITC
Additional error messages for variable handling in scripts
Added LK functions for running simulations in parallel within a script
Added new stepwise regression and Latin Hypercube Sampling LK script functions
This is a major reworking of the SAM software with a completely rebuilt software structure and user interface. This is the first version of SAM to use the SAM Simulation Core (SSC) framework. It adds several major new capabilities:
Numerous other features and bug fixes are included. Free online registration of your copy of SAM is required using your email address when you first start the software. A registration key is then emailed to you and used to verify registration each time you start SAM.
New 3D shading calculator will estimate linear beam shading factors based on a 3D scene entered by the user.
Added support for subhourly simulations (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minute, and 1 hour)
Added an inverter sizing macro to give additional information about system sizing by analyzing simulation results.
Self-shading calculator for large arrays is now enabled for all four PV sub-arrays, and inputs are simplified for easier use.
Reorganized input pages for easier use by separating Array and PV Subarrays pages into System Design, Shading, and Losses pages
Transitioned from derates to losses to be more intuitive and consistent with industry practice
Self-shading for one-axis tracking systems now uses the same algorithm as self-shading for fixed tilt systems for consistency and more accurate self-shading calculation including estimated nonlinear losses
Changed the calculation method for auto-sized systems to get closer to the desired DC-AC ratio.
Clipping losses, nighttime tare losses, and inverter power consumption losses now reported correctly. Previous versions reported losses for one inverter, not the total number of inverters in the system.
Added a $/Wdc option for inverter pricing and changed to this unit by default.
Cost assumptions have been updated to match the latest PV cost data.
Revised algorithms according to the PVWatts version 5 update, including an updated inverter performance model, self-shading or backtracking for 1 axis trackers, module models for standard/premium/thin-film types, updated system loss assumptions.
Added support for subhourly simulations (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minute, and 1 hour)
Cost assumptions have been updated to match the latest PV cost data.
The cell efficiency table is now interpolated based on incident DNI, rather than cell POA.
Updated the thermal model to use incident DNI rather than cell POA now consistent with the Sandia model.
Access to NREL's new WIND Toolkit data through the SAM user interface
Auto-layout capability for farms by entering a desired farm size
Turbine spacing in a farm is now entered in units of rotor diameters instead of meters.
Hub height was not previously accounted for in the air density calculations to compute the power curve when inputting turbine parameters and using a Weibull resource distribution
The air density equation used to compute the power curve when inputting turbine parameters has been updated with more accurate constants:
Siting considerations page has now become a macro
NREL's new Land-Based Balance of System cost model has been integrated into the user interface
Default turbine spacing assumptions have changed.
Cost assumptions have been updated to match the latest wind cost data.
Fixed bracket heat loss calculations to match empirical correlations in the Physical Trough Manual. The result is slightly reduced bracket losses.
Improved the convergence of the first-principles heat loss model.
Fixed a problem with calculation of the time zone
Updated user interface with simplified selection of components from the libraries
Replaced heliostat field simulation model to better support data formats provided by SolarPILOT and to automate field geometry characterization. The new model incorporates layout, flux, and efficiency characterization simulations directly. In the previous model, heliostat field optical efficiency was evaluated on a regularly spaced azimuthal/elevation sun position grid, and values were interpolated with a simple bilinear algorithm. The new model evaluates efficiency at the same sun positions as the flux maps, and efficiency is evaluated using Gauss-Markov estimation, which amounts to linear interpolation among irregularly spaced data points.
Added the ability to specify the number of flux maps used in field characterization. These settings are available on the Tower and Receiver technology pages. The user may also specify the resolution of the flux map.
Previously, the receiver flux distribution was determined during simulation by choosing the pre-generated flux map closest in sun position to the current point. This was updated to allow interpolation among several nearby flux maps with a weighting approach.
The previous DELSOL3-based field layout and characterization algorithm is replaced with NREL's SolarPILOT software. The new approach emphasizes full layout and position-based simulation rather than DELSOL's zonal approach.
Improved accuracy of heliostat field characterization given x-y position layout. This was poorly supported under DELSOL3, but is a point of emphasis with the new SolarPILOT algorithms.
Added support for heliostat optical parameters, including heliostat canting (individual mirror facets) in the horizontal and vertical direction, ideal vs. flat (no) focusing, and options for specifying facet aiming (canting).
Updated heliostat field optimization algorithms. Please note that documentation is still under development for these algorithms. The user may refer to http://ab-initio.mit.edu/wiki/index.php/NLopt_Algorithms for an overview of the methods.
Support for automatic re-layout of the heliostat field in parametric or stochastic simulations
Removed cavity receiver option until model can be integrated with new system level model
Fixed an error that occurred when the number of receiver panels was less than the number of flux points.
Updated the user interface to simplify inputs.
Replaced estimated receiver thermal efficiencies in UI with estimated receiver heat loss. The heat loss is typically less dependent on flux, so specifying this value allows the thermal efficiency to automatically vary with flux.
Solar field modeling changes detailed for the Molten Salt Power Tower.
Automatic optimization of the receiver during simulation runs is still under development and is not yet available. However, optimization within the interface on the Solar Field page is available.
The field-to-storage HX sizing for the controller previously specified that the HX duty should be (solar multiple = 1 ) * (power block design thermal power). This makes the size adequate if the field always deploys to the power block first, then only balance is sent to storage. This is not desired behavior, especially for peaker type plants. The HX sizing is now simply the solar field design power (solar multiple) * (power block design thermal power). Additionally, the off-design heat exchanger model has been updated to maintain physical performance when the load is near the design load.
Removed resource temperature and depth lookup via NREL web service in accordance with a recommendation from NREL geothermal technology experts.
Updated algorithm to use a triple-mode solar water tank model that more accurately models actual system behavior.
Added support for subhourly simulations (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minute, and 1 hour)
Added electric load input option for economic analysis.
Added a new building load estimator for the residential and commercial financial models that generates an hourly electric load profile based on information you provide about the building size and electric appliances. Requires monthly electric load data to scale normalized profile to actual energy usage.
Removed the Commercial PPA and Independent Power Producer financial models because they were redundant with each other, and with the more representative Single Owner model, which is now the only option for modeling PPA projects with a single owner.
Improvements to the utility rate database (URDB) inputs for the residential and commercial financial models and calculations to work with Version 3 of the OpenEI database.
New financial metrics for the Power Purchase Agreement financial models: SAM now reports both the levelized cost of energy metric based only on project costs after taxes and incentives but without the developer's return on investment, and the levelized PPA price, which accounts for both costs and the developer's return
Major update to the Send to Excel with Equations feature.
Scripts are no longer embedded in project files.
Scripting language is the new LK language which is much faster and more powerful.
New functions in standard library to create and export plots of data, reading/writing CSV files, HTML dialogs, web access and geocoding, new graphical user interface commands, Excel automation (Windows only), and direct access to the underlying simulation engine (SSC).
Added a script-based Macro system to support integrated extensions to SAM.
This is a maintenance update to SAM 2013.9.20 that addresses several bugs and other issues It does not add any new features.
Fixed a bug for the photovoltaic models with southern hemisphere weather files with the Tilt=Latitude option enabled that caused SAM to generate a simulation error message.
Fixed a bug for the PVWatts system model with 1-axis tracking. The bug caused the model to enable backtracking with a GCR of -1. This caused unrealistic results for a few hours of the year, but did not noticeably affect the system's total annual output.
Corrected the Flat Plate PV model's inverter library entry for the Toshiba (TMEIC) 500U. The correct values for the voltage and current ratings are: Vdcmax = 600 V, Idcmax = 1600 A, MPPT low = 320 V, and MPPT high = 550 V.
Updated the CEC inverter library to the January 2014 version.
Fixed a mistake in the PDF report for photovoltaic models with Commercial PPA, Utility IPP, or Single Owner financing in Specify PPA Price mode to show meaningless symbols for the PPA price value. This issue does not affect values that appear in the SAM user interface -- it only affects the PDF report.
Changed the Flat Plate PV default assumption on the Array page for ground reflectance to not use the albedo value from the weather file by default because the albedo values in the standard weather files tend to be unreliable. By default, SAM uses the 0.2 value specified in the monthly albedo input table instead of reading hourly values from the weather file.
Fixed a bug in the energy loss diagram for concentrating solar power models (CSP) with a large portion of the thermal energy to the power block supplied by the fossil backup system that caused the energy loss diagram to display an incorrect value for the System Output to Grid quantity.
For the linear Fresnel model, fixed an issue with the the collector azimuth angle variable on the Solar Field page being disabled with the collector incidence angle table option on the Collector and Receiver page.
Fixed an issue that caused the power tower model with thermocline storage to report an incorrect warning about the storage fluid temperature being outside of its operating range.
For the physical trough model, fixed some problems that caused simulations to fail for low temperature applications. The evacuated tube convergence algorithm could fail to converge when the DNI is zero and the HTF is losing energy to its surroundings, and some of the property lookup routines failed when field temperatures fell below zero degrees Celsius.
For the physical trough and generic solar system concentrating solar power models Thermal Storage page, fixed the units in the thermal storage capacity label. The correct units are MWht, not MWt. This is a mistake in the user interface label and does not affect simulations.
Fixed a mistake in the Linear Fresnel PDF report that showed aperture area of a single collector instead of the total aperture area.
Updated the TRNSYS source code files.
Fixed a bug for the residential and commercial financial models, that caused SAM to apply the percent of annual output factor from the Performance Adjustment page twice.
For the residential and commercial financial models with net metering, corrected the Sales/Purchases without System value for January. (The values for February through December were correct.) This caused the Net Savings with System value in the Metrics table to be incorrect.
For the residential and commercial financial model results, corrected the monthly Energy Rate Charge in [mmm] ($) label, and added the missing Year 1 monthly sales/purchases without system ($) variable is missing. The label should be Energy Charge in [mmm] ($).
For the residential and commercial financial models with the Normalize supplied load profile to monthly utility bill data option on the Electric Load page enabled, SAM used the original, non-normalized peak load to calculate monthly demand charges. With this update, SAM uses the normalized peak load values to calculate the demand charges. Although the old behavior is appropriate with 10- or 15-minute load data when the magnitude of the normalized data is similar to the original data and you want to preserve the original peak values, we decided to change it because it may be unexpected behavior, and is not appropriate when you normalize the load to much higher or lower magnitudes than the original data.
Fixed the formula in the cash flow spreadsheets with equations for residential and commercial financial models to correctly calculate state ITC amount. The formula in Cell B51 was incorrect.
This version includes several improvements to photovoltaic modeling, utility rate and net metering calculations, bug fixes to concentrating solar power models, a revised and much faster solar water heating model, new wake modeling for wind farms, and updated default input values. In addition, this version comes with several new sample files to demonstrate various SAM features, including how to calculate net metering impacts with different utility rates and electric loads.
Fixed an issue on OS X systems when editing the library and weather file search path.
Updated utility rate inputs to be compatible with Version 2 of the OpenEI Utility Rate Database. For each utility in the database, SAM groups rate structures by category to make it easier to find a specific structure.
Net metering algorithm now carries over monthly credits and applies an optional year end sell rate. (Older versions of SAM assumed used hourly accounting for net metering.)
Renamed hourly and monthly results variables, and removed duplicate and confusing variables.
Added two options to model inverters not in the Sandia inverter database: The datasheet option allows you to enter parameters from a manufacturer datasheet. The part load curve option allows you to enter part-load efficiency curve that is linearly interpolated across the range of operation.
For self-shading shading of 1-axis trackers, a new ground coverage ratio input replaces the row width and spacing inputs to avoid being able to model systems with inconsistent array layout inputs.
Added estimation of output reduction due to self-shading of 1 axis trackers using an approximation that calculates geometric beam irradiance shading fraction from the GCR and assumes a long row. The diffuse sky and reflected irradiance is also reduced based on the view factor reduction to adjacent rows. Note: does not currently model nonlinear impact of electrical mismatch losses
Added additional detail in energy loss diagram to better characterize the source of each loss: irradiance reductions due to shading, inverter operation and clipping, and others.
Improved labeling of results variables.
Bug fix to backtracking algorithm: The rotation angle limit is now applied correctly for backtracked systems.
Bug fix in fixed tilt system self-shading code: The diffuse irradiance view factor reduction calculations were modified slightly to more accurately characterize the light blocking on the array.
Added an option in PVWatts to change the mounting configuration of the PV array. The selection of an open rack or roof-standoff mounting system adjusts the installed nominal operating cell temperature (INOCT) of the modules in the system.
Replaced the solar water heating performance model with a faster model.
Physical trough, power tower, direct steam tower and linear Fresnel: Fixed an error in the powerblock startup calculations. This is not a problem for simulations where the startup time is less than the simulation timestep, so the default cases (direct steam power tower and linear Fresnel) that use this model are not affected. Models where the startup time is greater than the simulation time may have been underpredicting the required startup energy.
Physical trough, power tower, direct steam tower and linear Fresnel: Corrected an error in the hybrid cooling model that decreases annual results using hybrid cooling model between by as much as 0.5% for the Molten Salt Tower and 1.75% for the Physical Trough model. These are worst case differences at small wet cooling fractions. Larger wet cooling fractions result in smaller differences.
Dish Stirling: Fixed a significant bug that underestimated shading losses in the default dish Stirling model. The annual energy in the default case decreases by 6.5%. As the spacing between modules increases, the difference between the old and new codes decreases and eventually disappears.
Empirical trough and the generic solar system model: the turbine startup energy calculation was not properly deducting energy for systems without thermal energy storage and with a large turbine thermal startup requirement. For these cases, the error in annual output could be greater than 12% (output went up after the fix), depending on the power block startup energy requirement. The impact for the default values in both the GSS and Empirical trough was minimal.
Generic solar model: the optical efficiency table is accompanied by a checkbox indicating whether the table should be interpolated or should simply return the nearest value. The checkbox values were backwards i.e. checking interpolate actually caused the model to return the nearest value, and vice versa. This bug would be most significant in cases with significant optical efficiency variation over small changes in the angular inputs, or in tables with a small number of values that differ substantially from each other. For the default case, change in annual output was less than 1%.
The powerblock model for the physical trough and molten salt power tower models was not correctly accounting for powerblock startup times greater than 1 hour (note the default is 0.5). The fix will cause annual energy output to decrease for these cases. For example, in the molten salt power tower, using the defaults and changing the powerblock startup time to 1.5 hours decreases the annual energy by about 4%. This bug will also affect custom simulations using timesteps less than the powerblock startup time.
Improved TRNSYS convergence of molten salt power tower during periods when the solar field is off but storage and the powerblock are still operating. The default case shows around a 0.2% increase in annual energy, and an elimination of TRNSYS convergence errors reported in the log file.
Improved startup and pumping power calculations in direct steam power tower. Default case annual energy increases around 0.8%.
Fixed bug in air cooling model that caused fan parasitics to switch to 0 in some cases where it was operating. The fixed version reduces the default power tower models annual energy output around 1%.
Created the ability to import a user defined turbine layout for a wind farm.
Added the ability to model wind wake effects using the Eddy-Viscosity model.
Added the ability to model wind wake effects using the Park model.
Worked with Mistaya Inc to develop the capability for Windographer software to export data in SAM's .srw wind resource file format.
Increased the maximum number of turbines that can be analyzed in a wind farm from 250 to 300.
Added a capability to display information about siting considerations for a particular location. SAM communicates with the NREL Wind Prospector online tool to obtain the information.
Fixed a bug where certain calculation were not updated during parametric runs.
Fixed a bug that caused SAM to calculate the temperature drop for an EGS resource incorrectly.
SAM 2013.1.15 is a maintenance update that addresses a few issues with the previous version. For a full description of new features in this version, see the SAM 2012.11.30 description below.
Fixed an issue that caused SAM to stop responding when viewing SRW wind data files with invalid format.
Updated Performance Adjustment variable group names so they appear correctly in lists of variables (parametrics, etc.).
Resized boxes on input pages to fit notes in orange font.
Fixed an issue with the advanced utility IPP financial models that prevented the model from converging when the LCOE was very small.
Fixed an issue with the cash flow Send to Excel feature that that caused percentages to be incorrectly displayed in Excel, and caused inaccurate escalation rate calculations.
Disable Excel Exchange by default.
Fixed a problem with TOU adjustment rates issues with net metering and load.
Made the utility rate database window resizable and added scrollbars to make it easier to see long names and descriptions.
Fixed a problem with cash flow graphs in reports for the advanced utility IPP financial models that caused multiple bars to appear on the graph.
Fixed a problem with the weather data reader so that it correctly exports data headings.
Fixed a problem with the Save with Hourly Options result that prevented SAM for saving data with unusual numbers of values (e.g., 200 values for statistical simulation).
SAM now prompts you for a folder to save reports, and uses the .zsam file location by default instead of automatically saving it in the user folder without any feedback.
PtOptimize() script function returns true/false depending on whether solar field optimization was successful.
Added PtGetOutput() script function to return all messages from running PTGen via PtOptimize()
Flat plate PV did not read shading inputs for Subarray 1.
Flat plate PV azimuth angle value did not import correctly from files saved with older.
Updated report templates for PV systems to correct formatting and logic issues.
Flat plate model now correctly imports azimuth angle value from files saved with SAM 2011.12.2.
Fixed HCPV system costs page icon in navigation menu.
Fixed tab order on photovoltaic input pages.
Removed parentheses in photovoltaic model results labels so they appear correctly in the time series data viewer.
Update TRNSYS source code files for all CSP models
Fixed a problem with the empirical trough model when the solar field stow angle was 180 degrees.
Fixed bug that results in Empirical trough model annual output error of 4%.
Improved input variable labels on Solar Field page for exact area and actual aperture.
Fixed issue with empirical trough model solar field initial temperature. This had a very small impact on the system's total annual output.
Fixed a problem for the wind cost model that caused values to be zero.
Corrected the wind PTC default value.
Added a limitation of 300 turbines to the total number of turbines in a system with an error message when more turbines are entered into the farm layout.
Fixed a problem with energy values shown in the Geothermal report.
Fixed a problem with the energy loss diagram that caused labels to overlap.
This version includes several improvements to the existing performance models and enhancements to the user interface. The new solar wizard makes it easier to get started using SAM to model solar projects. This version also includes a new energy loss diagram, new report templates, and an option to export cash flow data to Excel with formulas.
Automatically download tax credit and incentive data for United States locations from the online Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE).
SAM Solar Wizard steps you through the minimum number of inputs to set up a basic analysis for a photovoltaic (PVWatts), parabolic trough (Empirical Trough), or solar water heating system.
Loss diagrams for all performance models except wind and geothermal show where energy losses occur in the system.
Export cash flow tables to Excel with formulas for the residential, commercial, commercial PPA, and utility IPP financial models.
Expanded list of retail electricity rate structures available for download from the NREL OpenEI utility rate database.
Improved Performance Adjustment page (replaces Annual Performance page) to model curtailment, degradation, availability, and other operating losses with new hour-by-month factors.
New report templates.
Reorganize navigation menu and input page to make input variables easier to find.
Remove graph sliders and optimization analysis options because the Parametric Analysis option is a better and more transparent way to show variation of results over a range of inputs.
Change the default value of some input variables to better match current market conditions, including changing the default analysis period from 30 years to 25 years.
Bug fix: When Force tilt=latitude is enabled, surface tilt is now calculated as the absolute value of the location latitude to ensure that for locations in the southern hemisphere, the tilt value is positive. (SAM requires all array tilt values to be positive.)
Bug fix: PVWatts will generates an error message if it reaches an invalid data line in the weather file. Previously, PVWatts may have continued through the file using unpredictable values as input.
Enhancement: SAM has been upgraded to allow specifying up to four subarrays with different orientation, shading, and soiling inputs. The subarrays are assumed to have the same number of modules per string, and are wired in parallel connected to the single inverter.
Enhancement: Relative air mass is reported as an hourly output.
Enhancement: System performance ratio (factor) is calculated in a consistent manner between flat plat and CPV systems. See documentation for more details. The calculation method does not change the results.
Enhancement: DC and AC derate factors are specified as fractions, not percentages. This makes the derate convention consistent with PVWatts. SAM automatically updates values in files created with older versions with percentage values.
Bug fix: The single point efficiency (SPE) inverter occasionally produced nameplate power with zero incident irradiance. An example is shown in the plot below, for a 4 kW SPE inverter.
In the default residential PV system with a 4 kW SPE inverter, this fix reduces the annual AC kWh by approximately 1.8 %.
Bug fix: The Sandia PV module model did not correctly use the database-specified temperature coefficients. The temperature coefficients used were A = -3.56, B=-0.075, dT=3 when the Use database values option was selected in the user interface. For the default utility scale system in SAM, the fix increases the annual output using the default Sandia module by approximately 0.3 %.
Bug fix: The Sandia PV module model now reports the module temperature as the ambient temperature under zero irradiance conditions. The previous version of SAM reported 0 deg C under some zero irradiance conditions. This does not change the results.
Bug fix: Night-time inverter parasitic power is now correctly deducted from the total energy. This reduces SAM's annual AC power production by approximately 0.03 %, using the utility scale default system as a reference.
Updated module and inverter databases.
Revision: Tracker power is now specified as a fraction of nameplate capacity. As a result, tracker parasitic power by default scales with system size. Project files from old versions of SAM are upgraded accordingly.
Updated inverter database.
Updated HTF fluid library.
Bug fix: The molten salt power tower now allows the user to locate a heliostat on the x axis.
The runner and header heat loss calculations in the physical trough model were modified. The reported losses should approximately double for the default case. The net electric energy output will decrease around .1 - .2% for most cases. For systems with a larger number of field subsections, the effect will be slightly more significant.
Therminol 66 and 59 are now available as heat transfer fluids for the trough models. Rough guidelines for temperature limits of all HTFs are provided in the user interface.
The absolute pipe roughness in the external molten salt and direct steam tower models was changed from 1.5E-5 to 4.5E-5 m. This change results in a high pumping parasitic, but in regards to net energy is largely offset by an increased thermal efficiency caused by improved convective heat transfer coefficients.
The flux map DELSOL returns for the external molten salt and direct steam receiver now reports normalized values that indicate for each node 1-12 the fraction of the total power incident on the receiver that is absorbed. This revised metric corrects for a mismatch between the DELSOL reported field efficiency and the efficiency that can be calculated from the flux map output.
A new Turbine input page with an option to either choose a turbine power curve from a library of commercially available turbines, or to specify a turbine's performance characteristics (coefficient of power, tip-speed ratio, etc.)
Location Lookup now accesses the NREL Eastern Wind Integration Dataset in addition to the Western dataset.
Added a set of representative wind data files for typical resource and terrain types in the United States.
Improved the wind data file format to make it easier to edit with spreadsheet software and changed the wind data file extension from .swrf to .srw.
The Wind System Costs page has a new option to estimate costs for onshore and offshore wind projects using the NREL Capital Cost model.
New hour-by-month performance adjustment inputs to facilitate modeling operating losses due to curtailment and maintenance downtime.
The Feedstock page now provides access to the U.S. Billion Ton Update study for dedicated energy crops in addition to the agricultural residue database.
A new life-cycle emissions model estimates greenhouse gas emissions of biomass collection, transport, pre-processing, combustion, and CO2 re-uptake.
Added the ability to estimate plant costs for binary geothermal units.
For SAM 2012.5.11, we added one new performance model, made several improvements to algorithms to decrease simulation run times, and made the usual bug fixes, usability improvements, and documentation revisions. We re-wrote the flat plate PV simulation engine to reduce computational overhead and remove the dependence on the TRNSYS engine. The new code runs nearly 10 times faster than previous versions of SAM. This will reduce the time required for parametric and other analyses that require multiple simulations. The new High-X Concentrating Photovoltaic (HCPV) model is a new performance model that replaces the CPV option on the Module page. The new model includes CPV-specific derate factors, an estimate of spectral effects, and is structured to allow us to improve the model as new data and algorithms for CPV systems becomes available. We have created a set of new report templates for PV, wind, biopower, and geothermal systems that show a summary of key inputs and results in a PDF document.
Improved simulation engine for faster simulations. (see Summary above for details)
Remove CPV model option from Module page, and replaced it with a new High-X Concentrating PV (HCPV) performance model. The new HCPV model includes CPV-specific derates, and air mass correction to simulate spectral effects.
Rename Component-based PV model to Flat Plate PV model.
Change azimuth angle convention for Flat Plate PV model to be consistent with PVWatts convention: 0=N, 90=E, 180=S, 270=W. If you use SAM 2012.5.11 to open a file you last saved in a previous version, SAM correctly converts the azimuth value for northern hemisphere locations only. For southern hemisphere locations, you should change the azimuth value yourself.
Improve sun position calculations for Flat Plate PV model. This causes a small difference in the Flat Plate PV system output due to more accurate sun position calculation (ref comparison of TRNSYS to PVWatts sunpos calculation - PDF report from U.Wisc)
Improved Flat Plate PV Backtracking algorithm. Simplified inputs significantly, improved runtime, results show better comparison with other tools (PVsyst)
For the Flat Plate PV, CEC Performance Model with User Entered Specifications module model option, allow temperature coefficients to be entered either in A/degC, V/degC, or %/degC.
Improved usability of P50/P90 simulation option. Report P50/P90 values for all results shown in the Metricsd table on the Results page.
Developed new report templates for PV, biopower, wind, and geothermal systems.
Improved web update system to add automatic notification when software updates are available.
Added Library() function in SamUL to query library types and entry names. One application of the function is to run through different modules in one of the PV module libraries.
Some Input pages rearranged and streamlined for clarity.
Changed Emissions Comparison page to Life-Cycle Impacts page. The new page allows users to see the emission effects of transportation fuel, transportation mode, and pre-processing method. The overall greenhouse gas emissions results are displayed graphically, broken into general categories such as transportation, collection, combustion, and biomass uptake. This page does not affect the performance or cost model in any way. It is purely informational.
Removed the option to specify biomass power plant capacity. This option was confusing to users, since intuitively, this option would back-calculate the amount of biomass used to achieve a plant of the specified size and the corresponding collection radius. The back-calculation of feedstock radius is not a current capability of SAM Biopower.
Fixed stow angle bug in empirical trough model. Should not affect results unless stow angles were set to an angle much less than 180 .
Thermal storage tank heater efficiency was not being applied to tank heater parasitic losses. This should have minimal impact on results for most cases because tank heater is typically not frequently used and default heater efficiency is 0.99.
Fixed thermal storage tank freeze protection calculations. Impact on annual performance results should be negligible.
Optical efficiency did not include cosine effects. Modified version will significantly change optical efficiency results. Annual energy is not affected.
Fix field defocus calculation for physical trough and molten salt power tower models. Impact on gross and net annual energy is negligible. May have larger impact (~5%) on the energy from the field in some cases.
Fix bug in empirical trough model that allowed storage to over-discharge under some conditions. Impact on annual energy should be negligible.
Fix bug in freeze protection calculations for the physical trough model. Impact should be negligible for systems with low freeze protection loads. Systems with higher freeze protection loads may see a noticeable decrease in required freeze protection energy.
Consolidate small-scale and large-scale wind models into a single Wind Power model that uses the swrf wind data format and files from the Western Wind Dataset.
SAM 2011.12.2 is a maintenance update that addresses a few issues with the previous version including:
Error when opening zsam files by double-clicking the file name
Issue with power tower models in Mac version.
Handling of PV soiling derating factors when opening files created in older versions.
For a full description of new features in this version, see the SAM 2011.11.29 description below.
SAM 2011.11.29 adds three new technologies and several tools and capabilities, in addition to bug fixes, usability improvements, and documentation revisions (see below for detailed descriptions):
CSP Linear Fresnel
CSP Direct Steam Power Tower
Biomass Power
Model PV modules with spec sheet data
Monthly soiling derates for PV systems
P50/P90 analysis
Model a generic system using hourly or sub-hourly generation profile as input
Integrated time series data viewer
Report Generator
Case Compare
Ground Reflectance (albedo): Removed ground reflectance with snow input (albedo w/ snow) from the Array page. If the weather file contains valid albedo values between 0 and 1, they are in the simulation. Otherwise, the single ground reflectance value from the Array page is used. When comparing results from the current version with older versions of SAM, for locations that experience snowfall, a weather file format that includes snow depth, (Boulder CO.tm2 for example), and the default ground reflectance inputs, the annual output predicted by the current version will be typically slightly lower than the output predicted by older versions. Older versions of SAM predicted higher system output during snow cover periods by assuming that all PV panels would be cleared of snow, and that the more reflective ground would reflect more diffuse radiation onto the panels. The current version does not make this assumption for the PV component based models, but rather limits the input to a single average ground reflectance input.
Tilted Surface Irradiation Models: Removed the Hay and Davies, and Perez 1988 diffuse irradiation models options from the Array page. This change simplifies the user interface while keeping the Isotropic, HDKR, and Perez 1990 models available.If you open a SAM file created with an older version of SAM and using the old Hay and Davies option, SAM will change the setting to the HDKR option in the new version . Similarly, the Perez 1988 option from the old version upgrades to the Perez 1990 option in the new version. The HDKR model typically will predict slightly higher diffuse irradiation on a tilted surface than the Hay and Davies model because of its treatment of additional diffuse irradiation components. The Perez 1990 model is based on coefficients extracted from a larger input dataset than the Perez 1988 model.
Irradiance Component Input Option: Removed the option on the Array page for using total (global) horizontal and diffuse components of irradiation. The current options are total and beam, and beam and diffuse. By default, SAM uses beam and diffuse from the weather file. There should be no difference in results between the current version and older versions for weather file with self-consistent irradiance values. This change simplifies the user interface while still providing sufficient options for nearly all modeling needs.
Soiling: Added an option for entering monthly soiling derates. The derate is applied equally to all components of the calculated plane-of-array (POA) irradiance before the DC module power is calculated. This is different from previous versions of SAM, in which the soiling derate was applied to the DC output of the module. The new approach is more consistent with real systems, where soiling blocks irradiance before reaching the module, which both reduces POA irradiance and affects cell operating temperature. The approach in the new version tends to slightly reduce the system's annual output compared to the approach in older versions, assuming a constant soiling derate for all months.
Shading: Added an option to import Solar Pathfinder Month x Hour or Obstruction table shading input files.
PV Module Model: Added a CEC Performance Model with User Entered Specifications option on the Module page. This model allows the user to enter module datasheet specifications directly into SAM, which calculates coefficients to drive the CEC performance model. The coefficients are calculated using a method detailed in the SAM help system.
PV Databases: The CEC PV Module, Sandia Module, and Sandia Inverter databases were updated to the latest available versions.
Monthly Soiling Derates: The PV Component-based model includes an option to specify 12 monthly values for the soiling derate factor on the Array page.
Backtracking: The backtracking option in SAM was temporarily removed for this version because the SAM team did not have confidence that it was working correctly in all configurations. We are developing an updated algorithm and expect it to be faster and easier to use for future versions of SAM.
Cell Temperature: PVWatts in SAM now reports cell temperature as equal to ambient temperature (dry bulb) when the sun is down. Previous versions reported 999 during non-solar hours. This change has no impact on results.
Handling of Snow Depth: PVWatts in SAM now uses the snow depth data in a TMY2 weather file (if available) to adjust the ground reflectance (albedo) from 0.2 (no snow) to 0.6 (with snow cover). This change makes the results match the online PVWatts V.1 exactly for TMY2 files. When comparing results with previous versions of SAM, for locations with measured snow cover, this change will typically increase the annual output from a system because snow cover hours will reflect more diffuse irradiance from the ground surface onto the panels. This assumes that panels are always cleared of snow.
Improved the iterative solution algorithm for solar field mass flow rate. The previous release used the successive-substitution method for determining convergence of the HTF mass flow rate in the solar field. While generally successful, this method is prone to error in situations where the initial guess values do not closely resemble the final converged solution. This release uses the hybrid false-position iterative method which has proved to be significantly more robust and stable than the previous method in solving for the solar field mass flow rate. The modified solver algorithm also allowed us to place thermal inertia and heat loss calculations inside of the primary iteration loop, thus improving the accuracy of the solar field calculations and reducing solver time. Potential impacts include: This is the most significant modification to the solar field algorithm in this release. The more accurate solver ensures energy/mass/temperature balance in a wider range of operating conditions, and thus impacts the annual and hourly energy production. The net impact was shown to slightly reduce annual energy output and have a varying effect on individual time step calculations.
Adjusted the design-point mass flow rate in the solar field to more correctly calculate the absorbed thermal energy and thermal losses from the loop at design. This change slightly increases the thermal performance of the solar field according to the design-point calculations, thus setting the design mass flow rate to a higher value. Potential impacts include: Defocusing of the solar field caused by mass flow exceeding its maximum limit will occur less frequently. The design-point mass flow rate is also used to size the piping and header diameters. This change leads to potentially slightly larger diameter piping, increasing the thermal inertia of the modeled plant, increasing the piping thermal losses, and decreasing the pumping parasitic through the headers.
Updated pipe diameter sizing algorithm to correctly handle systems where the number of SCAs in the loop is 1 or 2 (8 is the default value). Potential impacts include: Addresses a bug causing the simulation to crash in this scenario.
Correction to header piping length calculation. Potential impacts include: The piping length was calculated to be artificially low. This fix correctly calculates the header length, thus impacting the thermal inertia of the solar field and piping thermal heat losses. The net effect of this changed was observed to decrease the annual energy production for the default system.
Added an algorithm to the solar field model that avoids recalculating the solar field during multiple iterations if the inputs to the module do not change. Potential impacts include: Improved simulation speed, no changes to performance calculations are anticipated.
Correction to the calculation of optical efficiency during the first and last hour of the day in which the solar field operates. Potential impacts include: This fix applies only to simulations with sub-hourly time steps. During this type of simulation, thermal energy produced during the first and last time step of solar field operation is reduced slightly, depending on the time step duration.
Optical end loss (light reflected at an angle off the end of the last collector in a row that is not absorbed) was previously applied as an average optical loss to each collector in the loop. The code was updated to apply this loss to only the relevant collectors in the loop. Potential impacts include: Total solar field optical efficiency is unchanged, though the energy absorbed by each collector will be distributed slightly differently. This slightly impacts thermal losses from the receivers, but is likely unnoticeable in annual simulation results.
Improved the solar field freeze protection algorithm. The previous release assumed that freeze protection would be applied locally in the calculations for the solar field to maintain the HTF at the desired freeze-protection temperature. In other words, the freeze protection was (unrealistically) injected into any given calculation node in the solar field that fell below the minimum temperature. The model was updated to a predictive algorithm that applies fossil backup to heat the HTF at the inlet of the solar field to a sufficient temperature such that the HTF exiting the loop matches the desired freeze protection temperature. This more accurately captures thermal losses in the circulating fluid and the required energy contribution from the auxiliary fossil boiler. Potential impacts include: Improved accuracy in freeze protection calculations, including thermal losses and fossil energy requirement.
Updated pressure loss calculation in the hot and cold headers to scale more accurately with mass flow rate. Potential impacts include: Reduced pumping parasitic requirement at part-load operation.
Improved evacuated tube receiver thermal loss model to account for the temperature gradient across the SCA instead of calculating the thermal losses at an average temperature only. Potential impacts include: Improved accuracy in thermal loss calculations for the solar field receivers.
Removed the minimum power cycle restart requirement. The functionality of this value was compromised by the turbine startup time requirement and the turbine startup energy requirement, and thus is no longer necessary. Potential impacts include: None
Corrected a bug in the thermal storage system that allowed a negative mass in the tank under some conditions. This caused the simulation to crash. Potential impacts include: No performance impacts. Reduced likelihood of simulation crash in some situations.
Corrected the calculation for thermal load into the power block during standby mode operation. The previous release underestimated the thermal requirement to maintain standby operation. Potential impacts include: Increased thermal requirement during standby operation (if applicable). Impact is expected to be minimal for most cases.
Improved steam property lookup accuracy. Potential impacts include: Improved convergence of steam property calls and calculation of steam-related values such as heat rejection evaporative loss and power cycle water blowdown loss.
Implemented a bug fix for calculating heliostat efficiency at negative solar azimuth angles. The previous release used the heliostat field component from the TRNSYS STEC library to interpolate solar field efficiency from a matrix defined by solar azimuth and zenith angles which artificially limited the solar azimuth angle to zero. The TRNSYS definition for solar azimuth angles applies a range of -180 deg to +180 deg (North to North, clockwise), thus the solar field efficiency was incorrectly interpolated at an azimuth angle of 0 deg for all solar azimuth angles less than zero (morning hours). Potential impacts include: Solar field optical efficiency was over-estimated for most systems during morning hours, resulting in an annual over-estimate of approximately 3% for the default external receiver system and 5% for the default cavity-north system. This is the most significant modification in the tower models for this release.
Added outputs to report HTF pressure drop across the receiver. Potential impacts include: The user is now able to review the HTF pressure drop, including gravity and frictional head loss.
Removed the minimum power cycle restart requirement. The functionality of this value was compromised by the turbine startup time requirement and the turbine startup energy requirement, and thus is no longer necessary. Potential impacts include: None
Corrected a bug in the thermal storage system that allowed a negative mass in the tank under some conditions. This caused the simulation to crash. Potential impacts include: No performance impacts. Reduced likelihood of simulation crash in some situations.
Corrected the calculation for thermal load into the power block during standby mode operation. The previous release underestimated the thermal requirement to maintain standby operation. Potential impacts include: Increased thermal requirement during standby operation (if applicable). Impact is expected to be minimal for most cases.
Improved steam property lookup accuracy. Potential impacts include: Improved convergence of steam property calls and calculation of steam-related values such as heat rejection evaporative loss and power cycle water blowdown loss.
Updated the optical table interpolation algorithm to allow simultaneous interpolation of multiple tables. This change was made to support the Linear Fresnel system, which also uses the algorithm developed within the GSS model. Potential impacts include: No performance impacts are expected.
Improved performance calculations to determine the design-point solar field optical efficiency based on the actual solar zenith at solar noon on the summer solstice. This allows the model to choose a more representative design-point mass flow rate. Potential impacts include: Minimal changes to the annual energy production.
SAM's Generic System model now allows you to provide either hourly generation data or sub-hourly data with up to one-minute resolution as input, which makes it possible to use results from an external performance model with SAM's financial models.
Collector Specification: Updated simulator to correctly use number of collectors specified by user. Also made collector database on user interface searchable.
Draw Profile: Added option to scale hourly draw profile to an average daily hot water draw of kg/day.
Removed some unnecessary inputs, and updated default values.
Allow pump work as input.
Added the power block component, which to allow for modeling of a geothermal system using SAM's power block component.
The utility-scale biopower model was developed by the SAM team with internal funding from NREL. The model accesses online NREL databases of biomass resource to model a biopower plant.
Integrated time series data viewer. SAM's new Time Series Data Viewer replaces DView for displaying graphs of time series data. The new viewer is integrated into the user interface, and runs on both Windows and Mac OS versions of SAM. DView is still available in SAM via the Results menu.
Report Generator. The new report generator allows you to design and generate reports in PDF format with tables of both input data and results, along with text, and images. Once you design a report template, you can use it with different SAM files. This should facilitate generating reports for project reports.
Case Compare. The Case Comparison window shows inputs and results from all of the cases in a file in a single, editable table. You can quickly identify differences between cases, and update values of inputs directly from the window.
Search Box: For inputs that use a list to populate values (weather file, PV modules and inverters), a search box makes it possible to type a few characters of the input name.
Land Cost for Solar Systems: The land cost category on the System Costs page for PV and CSP systems is now linked to the land area input on the Array or Solar Field page.
Location lookup allows for choosing specific year or typical DNI year file. Previous versions only downloaded the typical year file.
This version includes updated default input values across all technologies and several bug fixes.
Reorganize and rename financing options in the Technology and Market window: The Utility Independent Power Producer (IPP) option is equivalent to the Utility IPP options in pre-2011.5.4 versions of SAM, and the new utility financing options are listed under the Advanced Utility IPP Options heading.
Removed the mid quarter MACRS depreciation option from the Utility IPP and Commercial PPA options.
Added a custom depreciation option for the new utility financing options to facilitate analysis of depreciation schedules other than those typically available under U.S. tax law.
Corrected a problem with the units in the Production Tax Credit calculation that affected analyses involving the PTC. SAM 2011.5.23 and earlier incorrectly overestimated the PTC amount by a factor of 1000.
Fixed convergence issues in the PPA price calculation algorithm in the Utility IPP and Commercial PPA models when used with Wind, Generic, and PVWatts system models.
Updated CEC PV Module and Updated Sandia PV Inverter databases.
Corrected a problem with reading Solmetric SunEye shading files.
For the advanced Multiple Systems simulation option, corrected the PV capacity factor and system performance factor calculation.
Updated default input values across all technologies.
Added PDF export for single graphs.
Corrected a problem with SAM window placement on a multiple monitor setup.
Corrected a problem with axis labels in graphs of parametric results that included variable linkages. SAM now displays the value of one of the linked variables instead of using long labels that include all variable names and values.
Added a search box to selection windows such as the Choose Parametrics window. You can now type a few characters of a variable name to find it in the list.
Fixed a problem with the Mac version on some older 32-bit Mac OS systems.
Improved error checking for weather files, and in the TMY3 weather file creator
Fixes issue in power tower model and north field calculations.
Corrected units for DNI in hourly results.
Added the No Financials option for the Utility Scale Wind technology option.
This version addresses a problem with the PV operation and maintenance default values and includes some formatting changes to the Help system.
This version adds many new features in addition to fixing bugs in existing models. It adds several new utility scale financing models that more accurately represent some common financial structures used for renewable energy projects than SAM's original Utility-IPP model. Other improvements include a generic system model that can accept hourly energy input from other models, enhanced temperature correction algorithms for the CEC PV module model for various mounting options, more detailed accounting for PV cost details, a new model for calculating geothermal co-production in conjunction with an oil or gas well, and a utility scale wind model that can directly access a large database of hourly wind data at various hub heights.
Improved welcome screen with news feed to show updates about upcoming versions, bug fixes, webinars, and other SAM-related information
Additional graphs automatically generated to show cost breakdowns in stacked cost per watt ($/W) and LCOE (cents/kWh) on y axis
New sample file for showing scripting (SamUL) capabilities
Updated reference manual for scripting (SamUL)
Added an All Equity Partnership Flip financing structure that represents a power generation project with a tax investor and developer and no debt. You specify a target IRR and year or target PPA price with the allocation of cash and tax benefits to each partner before and after the target year. SAM calculates the project PPA price and the NPV and IRR for each partner.
Added a Leveraged Partnership Flip financing structure that represents a power generation project with a tax investor and developer and debt. You specify a target IRR and year or target PPA price with the allocation of cash and tax benefits to each partner before and after the target year. SAM calculates the project PPA price and the NPV and IRR for each partner.
Added a Sale Leaseback financing structure that represents a power generation project with two partners. The tax investor purchases the project from the developer and leases it back to the developer. The tax investor receives lease payments from the developer along with tax benefits and incentives. The developer keeps any excess cash flow after operating costs and lease payments are made. You specify a target IRR and year or target PPA price and lease terms. SAM calculates the project PPA price and the NPV and IRR for each partner.
Added a Single Owner financing structure that represents a power generation project with one owner. The owner receives all of the cash and tax benefits from the project. The owner may be the original project developer or a third party investor if the developer is unable to use the tax benefits or lacks sufficient capital to construct the project. You specify debt terms, and a target IRR and year or target PPA price. SAM calculates the project PPA price, IRR and NPV.
Merged Residential Cash and Residential Loan/Mortgage financing options into single Residential model. To model cash financing, set the debt fraction to zero.
Merged Commercial Cash and Commercial Loan financing options into a single Commercial model. To model cash financing, set the debt fraction to zero.
Renamed Third Party Ownership to Commercial PPA to better reflect calculations. User can now specify either the IRR target or the First Year PPA price and solve for the other.
Merged Utility IPP , Utility Dispatch , and Utility Bid Price options into single Independent Power Producer option that handles all three cases. The user can specify the IRR target or the First Year PPA price, along with time-dependent valuation factors (dispatch).
Simplified inputs for tax credits and incentives to remove unnecessary complexity.
Handling of property tax fixed. Previous versions overemphasized the valuation of property taxes, and an improved method is implemented.
Bug fix for copy/paste into TMY3 creator wizard on Mac OS X
Updated CEC and Sandia module databases to most recent available versions.
Updated Sandia Inverter database to most recent available version.
Added detailed thermal modeling of mounting options. Available only with the CEC module model.
Added an array backtracking algorithm for one axis tracking systems.
Fixed calculation of nominal DC array output for the CEC module model. Does not affect energy calculations.
CPV tilt and azimuth inputs now work correctly with the selected tracking mode
Updated CPV module page with temperature corrections to Pmp, added cell temperature calculation
Updated curve fit calculations for Sandia inverter input page
Updated default values for a, b, dT mounting coefficients on Sandia module page
Fixed tilt=latitude bug for southern hemisphere
Added a database of SRCC solar thermal collectors.
Added input for maximum auxiliary power to allow for modeling of larger systems
Added input for circulation pump power
The solar field inlet HTF temperature calculation was corrected to better model plant behavior during shutdown. Previously, the field inlet temperature remained tied to the power block outlet temperature when the solar field was not producing power, but thermal storage was providing energy for power cycle operation. This prevented accurate modeling of nighttime solar field cool down behavior. Potential impacts include: Observed field inlet/outlet temperature during nighttime operation for systems with thermal storage or auxiliary fossil backup, required solar field startup energy
The pipe sizing algorithm was modified to match calculated piping diameters to a common piping schedule. The piping schedule is now selected based on the minimum available schedule diameter that exceeds the calculated diameter requirement. Potential impacts include: Piping thermal loss, piping pressure drop and parasitic power requirement, solar field thermal inertia (from modified piping HTF volume calculation)
The field piping thermal inertia term on the Power Cycle page was split into three separate inertia terms and moved to the Solar Field page. The new inputs include specific thermal inertia terms for the cold header piping, hot header piping, and collector loop piping. Potential impacts include: Solar field transient behavior during startup and shutdown
The convergence tolerance on the solar field and controller algorithms was tightened. The former tolerance values proved to be insufficient for simulations with sub-hourly time steps. Potential impacts include: Annual energy output, longer simulation time
An error in the collector loop HTF temperature calculation was corrected. The error related to the fraction of energy involved in warming/cooling the HTF during non-steady-state operation. Potential impacts include: Transient behavior during startup, shutdown, and rapidly changing DNI levels
The mass flow rate calculation within the solar field was improved. Previously, it was possible for the mass flow rate to indicate convergence with small remaining convergence error in the field energy balance. The improved calculation eliminates this error. Potential impacts include: Small differences in the solar field mass flow rate or thermal energy output
On the Thermal Storage page, an input was added for the Hot tank heater set point. This allows the tank model to maintain a temperature set point for the auxiliary heater for both the cold and hot storage tanks separately. Potential impacts include: Differences in predicted tank heater parasitics, difference in thermal energy storage performance throughout the year
On the Power Cycle page, an input was added for the Minimum power block restart time. This input allows the user to control the amount of time that the power cycle will require to resume producing electricity if the cycle trips during daytime operation because of low solar resource. Potential impacts include: Annual electricity production, electricity production on partially cloudy days
On the Power Cycle page, an input was added for the Turbine inlet pressure control method. This allows the user to select the power cycle performance model as either fixed pressure or floating pressure. Previously, only fixed pressure operation was modeled. Potential impacts include: None for fixed pressure mode; For floating pressure mode - power cycle performance during part load operation, power cycle outlet temperature during thermal storage discharge
On the Thermal Storage page, an input was added to allow the user to select the auxiliary fossil backup dispatch mode. Options now include Minimum backup level, and Supplemental operation. Previously, only the Minimum backup level mode was included. The Supplemental operation mode allows fossil backup to provide thermal energy to the system in addition to thermal energy provided by the solar field or TES. The maximum rate of energy delivery is the fraction of design point power specified in the Fossil Fill Fraction inputs under the Thermal Storage Dispatch Control group, and the total fossil contribution plus the energy from the field and TES cannot exceed the corresponding Turbine Output Fraction value. Potential impacts include: None for Minimum backup level. For supplemental operation modified fossil backup control
The solar field defocusing algorithm was modified to more accurately model field defocusing during over-design operation. Modifications improved the model's ability to avoid excessive defocusing and reduce dumped energy during over-design operation. These changes are most prominent in systems where frequent defocusing is required. Potential impacts include: Annual electricity output, solar field performance during over-design operation, dumped thermal energy, model convergence issues
The measure for power cycle over-design operation within the model was changed from total thermal energy input to HTF mass flow rate. This change reduces instances of excessive HTF mass flow rate through the power cycle and more accurately simulates real plant operation strategies. Potential impacts include: Observed power block HTF mass flow rate, peak electric power generation
The solar field inlet HTF temperature calculation was corrected to better model plant behavior during shutdown. Previously, the field inlet temperature remained tied to the power block outlet temperature when the solar field was not producing power, but thermal storage was providing energy for power cycle operation. This prevented accurate modeling of nighttime solar field cool down behavior. Potential impacts include: Observed field inlet/outlet temperature during nighttime operation for systems with thermal storage or auxiliary fossil backup, required solar field startup energy
The field configuration option on the Solar Field page was modified to allow the user to specify the number of subfields rather than the configurations I or H . This change improves the model's ability to capture the piping performance of a wider range of field layouts. Along with this change, internal piping layout algorithms were updated to accommodate the range of subfield selections. Potential impacts include: Piping thermal loss, piping pressure drop and parasitic power requirement, solar field thermal inertia (from modified piping HTF volume calculation)
The startup criteria in the plant control algorithm incorrectly restricted startup to conditions above the power cycle dispatch requirement, when startup should have been allowed above the minimum power block operation level. This problem was corrected to represent a more realistic startup procedure. Potential impacts include: Small impact on annual energy production, small impact on electricity output during morning operation
The existing control strategy encompassing all plant operation and dispatch decisions was deemed to be limited in flexibility and prone to convergence errors. To improve the tower model and ensure a common simulation platform for all CSP models, the previous control algorithm was replaced by the algorithm developed for the Physical Trough model. This switch has significant benefits in ensuring the quality of the results over a wide input variable space, and provides improved results especially in simulation cases where solar multiple, thermal storage sizing, or auxiliary fossil backup sizing deviate significantly from the optimal. This modification applies to both the external and cavity receiver models. Potential impacts include: Improved solar field defocusing control, improved plant startup behavior, improved thermal storage or auxiliary fossil backup dispatch control, increased annual electricity output especially for systems with no storage
Added fossil dispatch control scheme option on the Thermal Storage page. Refer to the Physical Trough release notes
The pumping power requirement for HTF passing through the power block was previously calculated on a thermal power basis meaning the total thermal power passing through the pump was used to calculate an estimated electrical pumping power requirement. This calculation was replaced by an estimate on a mass flow basis, where total pumping power is given in terms of kJ per kg of HTF (equivalently kW per kg/s of mass flow). This change makes the tower model consistent with the pumping power convention for the parabolic trough model. Potential impacts include: Modified parasitic pumping power for HTF through the TES/Power Cycle system
Added sliding pressure operation for the power cycle. Refer to the Physical Trough release notes
An error in the natural convection thermal loss calculation used the wrong temperature value for the conductivity of air. A second error in the calculation used the wrong active area for convection between the tube wall and the HTF. Both were corrected and resulted in a minor difference in annual energy production. Potential impacts include: Small difference in thermal losses from the external receiver.
Addition of utility scale wind model. The SAM team has added a utility scale wind option for SAM users. The new option uses the same algorithm to determine wind farm output (including a simple wake analysis), but provides a new list of turbines, new financing options, and a new source for wind resource data. The new wind resource data is more granular in coverage and provides for measurements at hub heights more appropriate for utility scale wind turbines.
Added several hourly wind resource data files. More can be accessed via the online database connection that is integrated into SAM.
Enhancements to the small scale wind turbine model. The small scale model has been improved to run more quickly and some minor bugs have been addressed. In addition, new turbines have been added to the Small Scale Wind turbine library, bringing the total to 16.
Addition of geothermal co-produced electricity model. The Co-Production model in SAM estimates power output from co-production resources based on the resource temperature and flow rate and the power plant model chosen. The power plant model calculates the plant net power output based on either the thermal efficiency or utilization efficiency assumed for the power plant.
Can accept hourly energy production values as input, calculated by an external model.
This version adds many new features in addition to making improvements to existing ones. It adds a non-solar technology models for small wind and geothermal power systems. It also adds options for modeling complex utility rate structures for residential commercial projects, and time-of-use pricing through the use of energy payment allocation factors for utility projects. This version allows modeling of two new utility financing options. For PV systems, this version adds a more sophisticated shading model. The Results page has been improved to make it easier to display and export hourly data, regardless of operating system (Windows or Mac), and to display hourly data for simulations involving multiple runs such as parametric analyses.
New generic solar system model for concentrating solar power systems that models the solar field using a table of optical efficiency values that you specify.
New geothermal power system model.
New small scale wind power model.
Addition of time of dispatch and bid price utility financing models to allow modeling of projects in California under the California Public Utilities Commission rules, and to calculate the project internal rate of return when you know the power purchase price.
For PV systems, addition of a more sophisticated array shading model that allows you to import shading data from the PVsyst simulation software and SunEye shading analysis tool.
New utility rate page for complex rate structures for residential and commercial projects that includes time-of-use rates, peak demand charges, and tiered rate structures.
Improved electric load modeling for residential and commercial projects.
New cavity receiver model for power tower systems.
Remove electric storage option from photovoltaic model pending improvements.
New hourly data browser on Results page allows viewing and exporting of hourly data tables on both Windows and Mac computers (does not require Microsoft Excel) and viewing of hourly results for analyses that involve multiple model runs such as parametric analyses.
Improvements to statistical simulation option to add integrated regression and selection of multiple outputs.
Better error checking with display of warnings for some simulation issues on Results page (warning message button at top right of Results page.)
An improved utility rate model allows specification of a range of rate structures from simple flat rate with net metering, to complex structures with time-of-use rates, demand charges, and tiered rates. The model also allows rate structures to be imported from NREL's new rate database hosted on the OpenEI website.
Financing page includes an input to specify salvage value.
New models for utility financing options allowing specification of power purchase price as an input, and use of energy payment allocation factors to model time-of-use pricing.
New inputs on the Financing page for specifying construction interest costs that accrue before the analysis period begins.
Financing page includes an input to specify salvage value.
Array sizing calculator allows you to specify the system DC capacity, and automatically calculates the values for modules per string, strings in parallel, and number of inverters on the Array page.
Improved array shading model allows specification of beam shading factors using a table of 8,760 hourly values, a 24 by 12 month by hour table, or an azimuth by altitude table. Other options are to import shading data from the PVsyst simulation software or the SunEye shading analysis too. Finally the new shading model allows modeling of self-shading within the array (without backtracking).
Detailed derate factors can be specified directly on the Array page.
Improved error checking to help ensure inverter and array capacities are matched.
Updated module and inverter databases.
The electric storage (battery) model has been removed in this version.
Array page allows specification of the land area as a multiple of the total module area for reference. (Land area is not accounted for in cost calculations.)
New option for using updated Perez model for calculating incident radiation from data in weather file.
Fixed a problem with the way SAM calculated inverter AC output for hours when the DC input exceeded the inverter capacity.
Removed reference variables for CEC module model.
Improvement of condenser modeling in power block.
New cavity receiver model.
Add hybrid cooling.
Renaming of input and output variables for clarity.
Improved modeling of parasitic losses.
Add storage bypass valve control.
Receiver maximum flow rate based on HTF properties and maximum over design operation fraction.
New solar multiple input variable.
New receiver control variables.
Added specification of the land area as a multiple of the total module area for reference. (Land area is not accounted for in cost calculations.)
Improvement of condenser modeling in power block. (physical model)
Added specification of the land area as a multiple of the total module area for reference. (Land area is not accounted for in cost calculations.)
Improved modeling of fossil fuel usage for systems with fossil backup.
Add hybrid cooling. (physical model)
Improved heat loss calculation. (empirical model)
Added new model to facilitate modeling of concentrating solar power systems not handled by parabolic trough, power tower, and dish-Stirling models. Allows modeling of solar field based on a table of efficiency values.
New model for utility-scale geothermal power generation projects based on the U.S. DOE's GETEM model.
New model for small wind systems that consist of one or more turbines for residential and commercial projects. Current version relies on wind speed data in solar TMY data.
System summary: Units for the total installed cost per capacity were incorrect for photovoltaic, solar water heating, and generic systems.
Financing: Projects with commercial or utility financing and an analysis period less than the depreciation period caused simulations to fail. (This was also true for previous versions.)
Incentives: Production-based incentives (PBI), production tax credits (PTC), and investment tax credits (ITC) were incorrectly calculated.
Photovoltaic systems: The annual energy production was incorrect for systems with bipolar inverters from the Sandia inverter
database.
Solar water heating: System energy savings were incorrectly calculated.
Parabolic trough (physical): Receiver heat loss calculation was incorrect for receivers with lost vacuum or hydrogen leakage.
Power tower: Water usage was incorrectly reported, values of the solar field delivered energy and power block input energy were incorrectly reported in the hourly results worksheet, and default values of some input variables were incorrect.
Parabolic trough and power tower: Power block capacity-based costs were incorrectly calculated based on the net capacity instead of the gross capacity.
Several new functions and improvements to the SamUL scripting language, including the ability to run scripts from the command line.
Revised user documentation.
This version adds a solar water heating model and a new parabolic trough model to Solar Advisor, improves the display of graphs on the results page, and adds capabilities to the statistical analysis simulation option. It also includes interface improvements to the photovoltaic module and inverter pages, improves modeling of temperature effects on module performance, and includes the latest module and inverter databases from the CEC and Sandia. Finally, this version adds a weather data download feature for U.S. locations, and a function to create weather files in TMY3 format.
New solar water heating model for residential systems.
Tax credits and incentives can be defined as annual schedules.
Add levelized cost of energy (LCOE) with and without incentives.
New functions in SamUL
Graph thumbnails on Results page.
Input window for loads (photovoltaic, solar water heating) adds options for specifying load data: Daily profiles by month, cut and paste from clipboard.
Location lookup option automatically downloads NREL Solar Prospector weather data for U.S. locations using an address or latitude and longitude.
TMY3 creator facilitates creating custom weather files.
Simple load and storage models added to all photovoltaic models. Was only available in PVWatts model in previous versions.
Revised default rating conditions for concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) model. This will affect capacity-based calculations including LCOE when the module cost is specified in $/W.
Temperature correction added to concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) model, and improved in simple efficiency and Sandia models to include more options for specifying mounting options.
Improved layout of Module page for CEC and Sandia model. Display I-V curve and other changes.
Improved layout of Inverter page. Display inverter efficiency curves and rename input variables.
Azimuth tracking option added to photovoltaic models.
New hourly output data columns added to hourly outputs.
Corrected system performance factor calculation for systems with shading.
New physical model for parabolic trough systems. Original trough model renamed empirical trough model. Both trough models are available in the current version.
New field land area variables on Heliostat Field page.
Variables on input pages reorganized.
Allow generic fossil input variables to be parametric variables.
Significantly faster model runs and smaller project file sizes.
Both Windows and Mac OS X-Intel versions are available.
A SCIF file importer for opening files saved with previous versions of SAM.
A new graphs page can display up to four graphs simultaneously and has new controls for creating and modifying graphs.
Tornado-chart type analysis is built-in as a specific Sensitivity analysis.
Optimization allows you to maximize or minimize a metric with respect to inputs.
Multiple sub-systems allows you to model systems made up of two or more subsystems.
Weather model reads TMY3, EPW, and TMY2 files.
Scripting and batch-mode capabilities with Excel and other programming languages.
Update CEC module database (10/2)
Simple Efficiency Model allows for multiple radiation level/efficiency pairs (Flat Plate and CPV)
Incorporated PVWatts model
No updates.
Update HCE library.
Improvements to thermal storage dispatch strategies.
Can accept custom HTF fluids using a table-lookup mechanism.
Improved heliostat layout mechanism and optimization wizard.
Can accept custom HTF fluids using a table-lookup mechanism.
Power tower model.
Simple array shading model.
Add energy flow graph to standard graphs on Results page.
Update Sandia inverter database.
Update CEC module database.
No updates.
Update HCE library.
Tracking of backup boiler fuel cost in cash flow and cost of energy calculations.
Improve calculation of backup boiler fuel usage.
Updated help system and user guide, including topics for power tower model.
Update and rename sample files.
Improvements to user-defined variable implementation.
For cases using Excel optimization (utility financing model), Excel file runs in background by default.
Improve handing of SCIF files.
Show incentive tax details by default on Incentives page.
General improvements to speed up run times.
Parabolic dish-Stirling engine model.
Time-of-use utility rates.
User documentation available as both context-sensitive Help and PDF file.
Automated optimization of power purchase agreement (PPA) price escalation rate and load fraction for projects with IPP and Utility financing.
Revise inverter and array sizes in sample file.
Update Sandia inverter database.
Update CEC module database.
Change module and inverter database format to Excel from MDB.
Display voltage and capacity variables on array page to facilitate inverter and array sizing.
Add dish-Stirling sample file.
Implement dish-Stirling model.
Remove unused variables from user interface: number of receivers per SCA, HTF flow control, HTF night flow control, and turbine start-up time.
Rename time-of-use variables to time-of-dispatch and move them from Utility page to Storage page.
Remove Utility - IOU option from list of financing types on Financials page, and rename Utility - IPP option to IPP and Utility .
Improve graphing options.
Change utility rate units from cents/kWh to $/kWh.
Add Excel-based optimization of PPA escalation rate and debt fraction for IPP and Utility financing.
Improve installation on Windows Vista.
Improve sliders interface.
Fix time format issue with parabolic trough time of dispatch schedule.
Improve file compression to minimize file size.
Allow long variable names in parametric analyses.
Revise WACC calculation.
Read all significant digits from linked spreadsheets.
Implement new inverter performance model: Sandia Performance Model for Grid-connected PV Inverters
Removed previous curve-fit inverter model
Implement new photovoltaic module performance model: California Energy Commission Performance Model.
Update Sandia PV Array Performance Model with additional modules. (Was King Model in previous versions.)
Implement dry cooling capability for CSP systems.
Add new Solel UVAC3 HCE to CSP model library.
Add generic technology option: The simple heat-rate model allows comparisons between solar technologies and conventional fuel-based technologies in all markets.
Add Third Party Ownership option to commercial projects.
Allow operation and maintenance costs and annual degradation rates to be entered on a year-by-year basis.
Add new results workbook that stores complete set of calculated metrics, hourly data, monthly averages, and annual averages to facilitate reviewing results in Excel.
Improve display of results page: Move results button to bottom of navigation menu; replace single button with three, Results Summary, Spreadsheet, and Time Series Graph; implement new Run Analysis button to replace results pending status. Also add new Results menu.
Replace LCOE stacked bar graph with stacked cost graph to correct error in LCOE cost breakdown under certain conditions.
Add several new standard graphs, including monthly output, monthly inverter efficiency (PV only), and energy flow (CSP only).
Add new graphs that are available when one or more Independent parametric groups are defined.
Create new compressed file format (SCIF) that stores only inputs in small files for easier file sharing. Cases can be imported and exported from SAM files in the SCIF format.
Minor bug fixes
Reduce required disk storage space by deleting workbooks and other files from temporary folder when closing SAM.
Add transformer derate category to Array page for PV systems.
Display weighted average cost of capital (WACC) on Financials page.
Improve internal rate of return (IRR) calculation for utility and third party ownership projects.
New Fixed (per year) operation and maintenance category.
New folder (Samples\Financial_Spreadsheets) contains sample workbooks illustrating Solar Advisor financial calculations. Workbooks are also posted on the Solar Advisor website.
Solar Advisor opens with an empty window instead of automatically opening previous file.
Add close file button to menu bar.
Add capability to use EnergyPlus Weather file format (EPW) files for weather data.
Add capability to add weather files to the collection of built-in files.
Add weather data viewing tools, links to weather data web sites, and Help button to the Climate page.
Add ground reflectance with snow input variable to Array page for PV systems. SAM Applies the snow ground reflectance value during hours that the weather data indicates there is snow on the ground.
Fix a bug in the inverter model for low part-load operation.
Add waterfall graph capability in DView on Results page for CSP systems.
Update user guide.
Improve overall performance of model.
Add start up mode settings (File, Settings) and change tab names in Settings window.
Add help button to Climate page that opens a help page describing weather file options.
Improve search algorithm that finds a solution for systems using utility financing.
Improve calculation of number of TRNSYS runs displayed in information message.
Change hourly output buttons on Results page for CSP systems.
Improve handling of files created by different versions of SAM.
Improve automatic graph scaling.
Improve message for users attempting to run SAM when the Windows language setting is not English.
Improve automatic scale on sliders.
Improve file navigation for File, Open and File, Save As commands.
Photovoltaics Array: Add detailed derate factors.
Results: Add Slider column to results summary table that displays output measures based on the position of visible sliders.
Change the units of ITC and IBI incentives that appear with sliders and in graphs from % Max to %.
Improve the functioning of the Notes box.
For utility systems with IOU financing, remove first year PPA from the results summary table.
For utility IPP financing, improve the LCOE calculation algorithm.
Cursor changes to an hourglass while resetting default market values.
Correct default settings for tax details to show that for residential systems, all utility incentives are taxable, and that utility incentives do not reduce the ITC basis.
Changed default total derate factor in sample files to 84% to match PVWATTS.
Correct the way the sales tax rate and module cost per unit values are displayed.
Fixed a bug related to incentives.
Fixed a bug related user-defined variables.
Improved handling of missing workbooks.
Fixed a bug related to working with external spreadsheets.
Add the Release notes command to Help menu to display a list of version numbers and the new features and fixes associated with each version number.
Reorganize the list of commands on the Case menu.