energy-systems

## When to Trigger Activate this skill when the user mentions: - Solar energy, photovoltaic, wind power, hydropower - Power grid, load balancing, dispatch optimization - Battery storage, lithium-ion, energy density, cycling - Energy efficiency, HVAC, building energy modeling - Techno-economic analysis, LCOE, payback period - Electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, V2G - Hydrogen economy, fuel cells, electrolysis ## Step-by-Step Methodology 1. **Define the energy system scope** - Specify system boundaries: single building, microgrid, regional grid, or national scale. Identify energy sources (solar, wind, fossil, nuclear, hydro), storage technologies, and demand profiles. 2. **Resource assessment** - For solar: analyze irradiance data (GHI, DNI, DHI), calculate capacity factor, account for degradation and soiling. For wind: analyze wind speed distributions (Weibull), compute power curves, assess turbulence intensity. Use TMY (Typical Meteorological Year) data or site-specific measurements. 3. **System modeling** - Size components: panels/turbines (capacity), inverters, batteries (energy and power), converters. Model energy balance: generation - consumption - storage - curtailment = grid exchange. Use hourly or sub-hourly time resolution. 4. **Grid integration** - Analyze grid interconnection requirements: voltage, frequency, power factor. Assess variability and ramping impacts. Model dispatch optimization (merit order, economic dispatch, unit commitment). Evaluate ancillary services potential. 5. **Storage analysis** - Characterize storage technology: energy density (Wh/kg), power density (W/kg), round-trip efficiency, cycle life, calendar life, self-discharge rate. Optimize sizing based on arbitrage value, peak shaving, or reliability requirements. 6. **Economic analysis** - Calculate LCOE (levelized cost of energy) with discount rate, capital costs, O&M, fuel costs, and lifetime. Compute NPV, IRR, and payback period. Include incentives (ITC, PTC, feed-in tariffs). Conduct sensitivity analysis on key assumptions. 7. **Environmental assessment** - Calculate avoided CO2 emissions using grid emission factors. Perform lifecycle emissions analysis (cradle-to-gate). Compare with conventional alternatives. ## Key Databases and Tools - **NREL (SAM, PVWatts, NSRDB)** - Solar and renewable energy tools - **Global Wind Atlas** - Wind resource data - **EIA / IEA** - Energy statistics and projections - **HOMER Energy** - Microgrid optimization - **OpenDSS** - Distribution system simulation - **PyPSA** - Open-source power system analysis ## Output Format - Resource assessment as tables: annual/monthly capacity factor, energy yield (kWh/kWp). - System diagram with component sizes, power flows, and energy balance. - LCOE breakdown: capital, O&M, fuel, financing costs per kWh. - Economic results as NPV, IRR, payback period with sensitivity tornado chart. - Time series plots: generation, demand, storage state-of-charge, grid exchange. ## Quality Checklist - [ ] Resource data source and time resolution specified - [ ] System losses itemized (inverter, wiring, degradation, soiling, curtailment) - [ ] Discount rate and financial assumptions documented - [ ] Storage degradation and replacement costs included in economics - [ ] Grid emission factor source and year specified - [ ] Sensitivity analysis covers key uncertainties (resource, cost, discount rate) - [ ] Units consistent (kW vs. kWh, AC vs. DC clearly distinguished) - [ ] Comparison with alternatives provided for context