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Software tools and on-line guides that provide assistance with evaluating and developing distributed energy projects.
DE (General)
CHP Applications
Other DE Topics
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.
DE (General)
- DER Equipment Guide — Provided by the California Energy Commission. Choose a technology, then select the "vendor" link.
- Distributed Energy Selector — This tool suggests the best DE technology for a given application and geographical area by drawing on a database of more than 600 DE products. Additional parameters can be used to provide a more precise match. Provided by the Consumer Energy Council of America's Distributed Energy Forum. (Note: The information on the CECA Web site may not be fully comprehensive, and DOE does not advocate one product over another.)
- Distributed Generation Analysis Tool — Software for conducting life-cycle cost analyses and assessing the environmental impacts of distributed generation technologies. Requires some knowledge of utility rates and the characteristics of specific generators. Users input required data and the tool generates emissions and operating summaries and financial analyses. Developed by Science Applications International Corporation and the National Association of State Energy Officials for DOE.
- Distributed Generation Capabilities of the National Energy Modeling System (PDF 477 KB) — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, January 2003.
- Evaluation Framework and Tools for Distributed Energy Resources (PDF 410 KB) — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, February 2003.
- HOMER — A computer model that can be used to design both stand-alone and grid-connected power systems incorporating a variety of distributed generators. It has extensive sensitivity analysis and graphical output capabilities.
- Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Guidebook (PDF 942 KB) — Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources, April 2001. An excellent guidebook with information pertinent to developers of distributed generation in other states. Parts of this guidebook were adapted for use in this section of the DER Web site.
- Using Distributed Energy Resources: A How-To Guide for Federal Facility Managers (PDF 422 KB) — Federal Energy Management Program, May 2002.
CHP Applications
Several on-line guides and software tools are available for evaluating the economic potential of CHP systems in a variety of applications. While some of these software programs are provided by developers free of charge, others cost thousands of dollars.
- Survey of DER/CHP Software (PDF 1.6 MB) — Oak Ridge National Laboratory, February 2003. A survey of nine software tools, including their prices. Detailed descriptions are included among the links below.
- BCHP Screening Tool (PDF 383 KB)
- Building Energy Analyzer (PDF 309 KB)
- CHP Capacity Optimizer — Developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, this software (Zip 6.7 MB) helps determine optimal prime mover and chiller capacities to maximize CHP cost savings. The accompanying user manual (PDF 1.4 MB) provides easy-to-follow directions.
- CHP Emissions Calculator (Excel 28 KB) — From the Illinois CHP/BCHP Environmental Permitting Guidebook.
- CHP Resource Guide (PDF 1.3 MB) — Midwest CHP Application Center, September 2003.
- CHP Walk-Through Checklist (Excel 66 KB)
- Cogen Ready Reckoner: software (Zip 1.7 MB) and manual (PDF 2.2 MB) — A free screening tool for first-pass evaluations.
- Cogen Screening Assessor (Excel 401 KB)
- Combined Heat and Power Application Tool for Industrial Heating Systems (Zip 14.9 MB) — This tool evaluates the feasibility of using CHP in industrial heating systems such as fuel-fired furnaces, boilers, ovens, heaters, and heat exchangers. It can be used to estimate system cost, payback period, and other factors.
- Combined Heat & Power: Legal, Institutional, Regulatory (PDF 809 KB) — Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program, March 2001.
- D-Gen Pro (PDF 245 KB)
- Developing a CHP project — Combined heat and power project assessment and evaluation tools, including a payback estimator.
- DG Applications Guide — While each potential CHP project requires its own detailed analysis which must incorporate unique site-specific considerations, this guide provides the tools for initial assessment of CHP market opportunities, identification of applicable CHP technologies, and initial technical and economic feasibility of CHP project opportunities for industrial and institutional sites. The guide presents an overview of CHP technologies, applications, and project assessment approaches. Technologies covered include reciprocating engines, microturbines, gas turbines, steam turbines, and fuel cells.
- FEMP CHP Screening Analysis (Excel 1.0 MB)
- GT Pro (PDF 236 KB)
- Heatmap CHP (PDF 34 KB)
- Illinois CHP/BCHP Environmental Permitting Guidebook — Midwest CHP Application Center, January 2003. See Volume A: Roadmapping the Permitting Process (PDF 5.4 MB), Volume B: Permitting Issues (PDF 457 KB), and the CHP Emissions Calculator (Excel 28 KB).
- Plant Design Expert (PDF 180 KB)
- RECIPRO (PDF 105 KB)
- Simple Payback Algorithm — Estimation of simple payback for CHP installations.
- SOAPP-CT.25 (PDF 78 KB)
Other DE Topics
- Building Energy Software Tools Directory — Links to roughly 300 software tools for evaluating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability in buildings. Provided by DOE.
- Energy conservation software tools — Provided by the Federal Energy Management Program, these tools compare potential energy conservation measures by performing complex energy consumption analyses and modeling, as well as comparative life-cycle costing analyses.
- RETFinance — A levelized cost-of-energy model that simulates a 20-year nominal dollar cash flow for renewable power projects including project earnings, cash flows, and debt payment to calculate a project's levelized cost of electricity, after-tax nominal internal rate of return, and annual debt-service coverage ratios.
- Grid interconnection tools
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