Technology performance and operation parameters

These parameters characterize the performance and operation of technologies, including their availability, lifetime, pre-existing capacity, input-output relationships, and operating restrictions.

Availability factor

Fraction of time a technology is available to operate.

Scenario database

Table: AvailabilityFactor

Capacity of one technology unit

Increment in which endogenously determined capacity is added for a technology.

Scenario database

Table: CapacityOfOneTechnologyUnit

Capacity to activity unit

Factor relating a region's power unit to its energy unit. See Units of measure.

Scenario database

Table: CapacityToActivityUnit

Input activity ratio

Factor multiplied by dispatched capacity to determine the use (input) of the specified fuel. InputActivityRatio is used in conjunction with OutputActivityRatio. A common approach is to:

1. Set the InputActivityRatio for input fuels to the reciprocal of the technology's efficiency.
2. Set the OutputActivityRatio for output fuels to 1.

For example, if a technology had an efficiency of 80%, the InputActivityRatio for inputs would be 1.25, and the OutputActivityRatio for outputs would be 1.0.

Scenario database

Table: InputActivityRatio

Minimum utilization

Minimum fraction of a technology's available capacity that must be utilized (dispatched) in a region, time slice, and year. NEMO calculates available capacity by multiplying installed capacity by the applicable availability factor parameter. If the technology is involved in nodal transmission modeling, the minimum utilization rule applies equally to all nodes in the region.

Scenario database

Table: MinimumUtilization

Operational life

Lifetime of a technology in years. NEMO uses this parameter to:

1. Retire endogenously determined capacity. If a unit of capacity is built endogenously in year y, NEMO will retire the capacity in year y + OperationalLife.
2. Calculate the salvage value of endogenously determined capacity remaining at the end of the modeling period (see DepreciationMethod).

In this way, the parameter serves as both an operational and an economic lifetime.

Scenario database

Table: OperationalLife

Output activity ratio

Factor multiplied by dispatched capacity to determine the production (output) of the specified fuel. OutputActivityRatio is used in conjunction with InputActivityRatio. A common approach is to:

1. Set the InputActivityRatio for input fuels to the reciprocal of the technology's efficiency; and
2. Set the OutputActivityRatio for output fuels to 1.

For example, if a technology had an efficiency of 80%, the InputActivityRatio for inputs would be 1.25, and the OutputActivityRatio for outputs would be 1.0.

Scenario database

Table: OutputActivityRatio

Ramp rate

Fraction of a technology's available capacity that can be brought online or taken offline in a time slice and year. Ramp rates determine how quickly a technology's utilization can change. NEMO ignores ramp rates of 1.0 (i.e., 100%) since they effectively don't impose a limit.

Scenario database

Table: RampRate

Ramping reset

Indicator that determines which time slices are exempt from ramp rate limitations. NEMO can set technology utilization to any level in these time slices. The following values are supported for this parameter:

• 0 - Exempts the first time slice in each year.
• 1 - Exempts the first time slice in each time slice group 1 and year.
• 2 - Exempts the first time slice in each time slice group 2, time slice group 1, and year.

Note that because of the way time slices and groups are configured in NEMO, these values build on one another. For example, the first time slice in each year is exempted in all cases, and the first slice in each group 1 and year is exempted when the value is 2. If you don't specify a value for this parameter, NEMO assumes the value is 2.

Scenario database

Table: RampingReset

Residual capacity

Exogenously specified capacity for a technology. Note that NEMO does not automatically retire this capacity; it is up to you to do so in the values you provide for ResidualCapacity.

Scenario database

Table: ResidualCapacity