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Variable Renewable Energy Resources (VRE)

Contents

Overview | Asset Structure | Input File (Standard Format) | Types - Asset Structure | Constructors | Examples | Best Practices | Input File (Advanced Format)

Overview

VRE (Variable Renewable Energy) assets in Macro represent electricity generation technologies with variable output, such as wind turbines and solar photovoltaic systems. These assets are defined using either JSON or CSV input files placed in the assets directory, typically named with descriptive identifiers like vre.json or renewables.csv.

Asset Structure

A VRE asset consists of two main components:

  1. Transformation Component
  2. Electricity Edge: Represents the electricity production flow to the grid

Here is a graphical representation of the VRE asset:

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'background': '#D1EBDE' }}}%% flowchart LR subgraph VRE direction LR A((Energy Source)) e1@--> B{{..}} B e2@--> C((Electricity)) e1@{ animate: true } e2@{ animate: true } end style A r:55px,fill:#FFD700,stroke:black,color:black,stroke-dasharray: 3,5; style B r:55px,fill:black,stroke:black,color:black,stroke-dasharray: 3,5; style C font-size:20px,r:55px,fill:#FFD700,stroke:black,color:black,stroke-dasharray: 3,5; linkStyle 0 stroke:#FFD700, stroke-width: 2px; linkStyle 1 stroke:#FFD700, stroke-width: 2px;

Input File (Standard Format)

The easiest way to include a VRE asset in a model is to create a new file (either JSON or CSV) and place it in the assets directory together with the other assets. 

your_case/
├── assets/
│   ├── vre.json    # or vre.csv
│   ├── other_assets.json
│   └── ...
├── system/
├── settings/
└── ...

This file can either be created manually, or using the template_asset function, as shown in the Adding an Asset to a System section of the User Guide. The file will be automatically loaded when you run your Macro model.

The following is an example of a VRE asset input file:

{
    "existing_vre": [
        {
            "type": "VRE",
            "instance_data": [
                {
                    "id": "existing_solar_MIDAT",
                    "can_expand": false,
                    "can_retire": true,
                    "location": "MIDAT",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 22887,
                    "capacity_size": 10.578,
                    "existing_capacity": 2974.6,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "MIDAT_solar_photovoltaic_1"
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
Global Data vs Instance Data

When working with JSON input files, the global_data field can be used to group data that is common to all instances of the same asset type. This is useful for setting constraints that are common to all instances of the same asset type and avoid repeating the same data for each instance. See the Examples section below for an example.

The following tables outline the attributes that can be set for a VRE asset.

Essential Attributes

FieldTypeDescription
TypeStringAsset type identifier: "VRE"
idStringUnique identifier for the VRE instance
locationStringGeographic location/node identifier

Constraints configuration

VRE assets can have different constraints applied to them, and the user can configure them using the following fields:

FieldTypeDescription
transform_constraintsDict{String,Bool}List of constraints applied to the transformation component.
elec_constraintsDict{String,Bool}List of constraints applied to the electricity edge.

Users can refer to the Adding Asset Constraints to a System section of the User Guide for a list of all the constraints that can be applied to a VRE asset.

Default constraints

To simplify the input file and the asset configuration, the following constraints are applied to the VRE asset by default:

Investment Parameters

FieldTypeDescriptionUnitsDefault
can_retireBooleanWhether capacity can be retired-true
can_expandBooleanWhether capacity can be expanded-true
existing_capacityFloat64Initial installed capacityMW0.0
capacity_sizeFloat64Unit size for capacity decisions-1.0

Additional Investment Parameters

Maximum and minimum capacity constraints

If MaxCapacityConstraint or MinCapacityConstraint are added to the constraints dictionary for the electricity edge, the following parameters are used by Macro:

FieldTypeDescriptionUnitsDefault
max_capacityFloat64Maximum allowed capacityMWInf
min_capacityFloat64Minimum allowed capacityMW0.0

Economic Parameters

FieldTypeDescriptionUnitsDefault
investment_costFloat64CAPEX per unit capacity$/MW0.0
annualized_investment_costUnion{Nothing,Float64}Annualized CAPEX$/MW/yrcalculated
fixed_om_costFloat64Fixed O&M costs$/MW/yr0.0
variable_om_costFloat64Variable O&M costs$/MWh0.0
waccFloat64Weighted average cost of capitalfraction0.0
lifetimeIntAsset lifetime in yearsyears1
capital_recovery_periodIntInvestment recovery periodyears1
retirement_periodIntRetirement periodyears0

Operational Parameters

FieldTypeDescriptionUnitsDefault
availabilityDictAvailability file path and header-Empty

Types - Asset Structure

The VRE asset is defined as follows:

struct VRE <: AbstractAsset
    id::AssetId
    energy_transform::Transformation
    edge::Edge{<:Electricity}
end

Constructors

Default constructor

VRE(id::AssetId, energy_transform::Transformation, edge::Edge{<:Electricity})

Factory constructor

make(asset_type::Type{VRE}, data::AbstractDict{Symbol,Any}, system::System)
FieldTypeDescription
asset_typeType{VRE}Macro type of the asset
dataAbstractDict{Symbol,Any}Dictionary containing the input data for the asset
systemSystemSystem to which the asset belongs

Examples

This section contains examples of how to use the VRE asset in a Macro model.

Multiple VRE assets in different zones (existing and new)

This example shows how to define existing and new VRE assets in different zones. The existing VRE assets have initial capacity that is only allowed to be retired. The new VRE assets do not have an existing capacity but can be expanded. A MaxCapacityConstraint constraint is applied to the electricity edge with a maximum capacity determined by the max_capacity field.

JSON Format:

Note that the global_data field is used to set the fields and constraints that are common to all instances of the same asset type.

{
    "existing_vre": [
        {
            "type": "VRE",
            "global_data": {
                "can_expand": false,
                "can_retire": true
            },
            "instance_data": [
                {
                    "id": "existing_solar_MIDAT",
                    "location": "MIDAT",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 22887,
                    "capacity_size": 10.578,
                    "existing_capacity": 2974.6,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "existing_solar_MIDAT"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "existing_solar_SE",
                    "location": "SE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 22887,
                    "capacity_size": 17.142,
                    "existing_capacity": 8502.2,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "existing_solar_SE"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "existing_solar_NE",
                    "location": "NE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 22887,
                    "capacity_size": 3.63,
                    "existing_capacity": 1629.6,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "existing_solar_NE"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "existing_wind_NE",
                    "location": "NE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 43000,
                    "capacity_size": 86.17,
                    "existing_capacity": 3654.5,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "existing_wind_NE"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "existing_wind_MIDAT",
                    "location": "MIDAT",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 43000,
                    "capacity_size": 161.2,
                    "existing_capacity": 3231.6,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "existing_wind_MIDAT"
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "new_vre": [
        {
            "type": "VRE",
            "global_data": {
                "can_expand": true,
                "can_retire": false,
                "constraints": {
                    "MaxCapacityConstraint": true
                }
            },
            "instance_data": [
                {
                    "id": "NE_offshorewind",
                    "location": "NE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 57294.4,
                    "investment_cost": 173830.4242,
                    "max_capacity": 32928.493,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "NE_offshorewind"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "SE_utilitypv",
                    "location": "SE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 13510.19684,
                    "investment_cost": 40649.03073,
                    "max_capacity": 1041244,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "SE_utilitypv"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "MIDAT_utilitypv",
                    "location": "MIDAT",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 13510.19684,
                    "investment_cost": 41179.38174,
                    "max_capacity": 26783,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "MIDAT_utilitypv"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "NE_utilitypv",
                    "location": "NE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 13510.19684,
                    "investment_cost": 43445.847,
                    "max_capacity": 156573,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "NE_utilitypv"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "SE_landbasedwind",
                    "location": "SE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 26256.10757,
                    "investment_cost": 74858.52871,
                    "max_capacity": 84058,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "SE_landbasedwind"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "MIDAT_landbasedwind",
                    "location": "MIDAT",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 26256.10757,
                    "investment_cost": 78331.91929,
                    "max_capacity": 1384,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "MIDAT_landbasedwind"
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "id": "NE_landbasedwind",
                    "location": "NE",
                    "fixed_om_cost": 26256.10757,
                    "investment_cost": 90411.84793,
                    "max_capacity": 6841,
                    "availability": {
                        "timeseries": {
                            "path": "system/availability.csv",
                            "header": "NE_landbasedwind"
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

CSV Format:

Typeidlocationcan_expandcan_retirefixed_om_costcapacity_sizeexisting_capacityavailability–timeseries–pathavailability–timeseries–header
VREexisting_solar_MIDATMIDATfalsetrue2288710.5782974.6system/availability.csvexisting_solar_MIDAT
VREexisting_solar_SESEfalsetrue2288717.1428502.2system/availability.csvexisting_solar_SE
VREexisting_solar_NENEfalsetrue228873.631629.6system/availability.csvexisting_solar_NE
VREexisting_wind_NENEfalsetrue4300086.173654.5system/availability.csvexisting_wind_NE
VREexisting_wind_MIDATMIDATfalsetrue43000161.23231.6system/availability.csvexisting_wind_MIDAT
Typeidlocationcan_expandcan_retireconstraints–MaxCapacityConstraintfixed_om_costinvestment_costmax_capacityavailability–timeseries–pathavailability–timeseries–header
VRENE_offshorewindNEtruefalsetrue57294.4173830.424232928.493system/availability.csvNE_offshorewind
VRESE_utilitypvSEtruefalsetrue13510.1968440649.030731041244system/availability.csvSE_utilitypv
VREMIDAT_utilitypvMIDATtruefalsetrue13510.1968441179.3817426783system/availability.csvMIDAT_utilitypv
VRENE_utilitypvNEtruefalsetrue13510.1968443445.847156573system/availability.csvNE_utilitypv
VRESE_landbasedwindSEtruefalsetrue26256.1075774858.5287184058system/availability.csvSE_landbasedwind
VREMIDAT_landbasedwindMIDATtruefalsetrue26256.1075778331.919291384system/availability.csvMIDAT_landbasedwind
VRENE_landbasedwindNEtruefalsetrue26256.1075790411.847936841system/availability.csvNE_landbasedwind

Best Practices

  1. Use global data for common fields and constraints: Use the global_data field to set the fields and constraints that are common to all instances of the same asset type.
  2. Set realistic availability profiles: Ensure availability profiles reflect actual resource characteristics and correctly capture the temporal variations of the resource.
  3. Use meaningful IDs: Choose descriptive identifiers that indicate location and technology type
  4. Consider capacity constraints: Set appropriate maximum capacity limits based on resource potential
  5. Use constraints selectively: Only enable constraints that are necessary for your modeling needs
  6. Validate costs: Ensure investment and O&M costs are in appropriate units
  7. Test configurations: Start with simple configurations and gradually add complexity.

Input File (Advanced Format)

Macro provides an advanced format for defining VRE assets, offering users and modelers detailed control over asset specifications. This format builds upon the standard format and is ideal for those who need more comprehensive customization.

To understand the advanced format, consider the graph representation and the type definition of a VRE asset. The input file mirrors this hierarchical structure.

A VRE asset in Macro is composed of a transformation component, represented by a Transformation object, and an electricity edge, represented by an Edge object. The input file for a VRE asset is therefore organized as follows:

{
    "transforms": {
        // ... transformation-specific attributes ...
    },
    "edges": {
        "edge": {
            // ... edge-specific attributes ...
        }
    }
}

Each top-level key (e.g., "transforms" or "edges") denotes a component type. The second-level keys either specify the attributes of the component (when there is a single instance) or identify the instances of the component (e.g., "edge") when there are multiple instances. For multiple instances, a third-level key details the attributes for each instance.

Below is an example of an input file for a VRE asset that sets up multiple renewable energy facilities in different regions.

{
    "VRE": {
        "type": "VRE",
        "global_data": {
            "transforms": {
                "timedata": "Electricity"
            },
            "edges": {
                "edge": {
                    "unidirectional": true,
                    "has_capacity": true,
                    "commodity": "Electricity"
                }
            }
        },
        "instance_data": [
            {
                "id": "MA_solar_pv",
                "edges": {
                    "edge": {
                        "can_retire": true,
                        "max_capacity": -1,
                        "can_expand": true,
                        "constraints": {
                            "CapacityConstraint": true
                        },
                        "min_capacity": 0,
                        "commodity": "Electricity",
                        "fixed_om_cost": 18760,
                        "end_vertex": "elec_MA",
                        "investment_cost": 85300,
                        "variable_om_cost": 0,
                        "capacity_size": 1,
                        "availability": {
                            "timeseries": {
                                "header": "MA_solar_pv",
                                "path": "system/vre_availability.csv"
                            }
                        },
                        "existing_capacity": 0
                    }
                }
            },
            {
                "id": "CT_onshore_wind",
                "edges": {
                    "edge": {
                        "can_retire": true,
                        "max_capacity": -1,
                        "can_expand": true,
                        "constraints": {
                            "CapacityConstraint": true
                        },
                        "min_capacity": 0,
                        "commodity": "Electricity",
                        "fixed_om_cost": 43205,
                        "end_vertex": "elec_CT",
                        "investment_cost": 97200,
                        "variable_om_cost": 0.1,
                        "capacity_size": 1,
                        "availability": {
                            "timeseries": {
                                "header": "CT_onshore_wind",
                                "path": "system/vre_availability.csv"
                            }
                        },
                        "existing_capacity": 0
                    }
                }
            },
            {
                "id": "CT_solar_pv",
                "edges": {
                    "edge": {
                        "can_retire": true,
                        "max_capacity": -1,
                        "can_expand": true,
                        "constraints": {
                            "CapacityConstraint": true
                        },
                        "min_capacity": 0,
                        "commodity": "Electricity",
                        "fixed_om_cost": 18760,
                        "end_vertex": "elec_CT",
                        "investment_cost": 85300,
                        "variable_om_cost": 0,
                        "capacity_size": 1,
                        "availability": {
                            "timeseries": {
                                "header": "CT_solar_pv",
                                "path": "system/vre_availability.csv"
                            }
                        },
                        "existing_capacity": 0
                    }
                }
            },
            {
                "id": "ME_onshore_wind",
                "edges": {
                    "edge": {
                        "can_retire": true,
                        "max_capacity": -1,
                        "can_expand": true,
                        "constraints": {
                            "CapacityConstraint": true
                        },
                        "min_capacity": 0,
                        "commodity": "Electricity",
                        "fixed_om_cost": 43205,
                        "end_vertex": "elec_ME",
                        "investment_cost": 97200,
                        "variable_om_cost": 0.1,
                        "capacity_size": 1,
                        "availability": {
                            "timeseries": {
                                "header": "ME_onshore_wind",
                                "path": "system/vre_availability.csv"
                            }
                        },
                        "existing_capacity": 0
                    }
                }
            }
        ]
    }
}

Key Points

  • The global_data field is utilized to define attributes and constraints that apply universally to all instances of a particular asset type.
  • The end_vertex field indicates the node to which the electricity edge is connected. This node must be defined in the nodes.json file.
  • For a comprehensive list of attributes that can be configured for the transformation and edge components, refer to the transformations and edges pages of the Macro manual.