Staff Workshop to Discuss the Solar + Storage Modeling Tool

California Energy Commission staff, in consultation with Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3), will present and discuss the cost-effectiveness results produced by the Solar + Storage Modeling Tool for an ongoing Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) funded project. Energy Commission staff and E3 will also provide a hands-on demonstration and training for stakeholders who are interested in using the tool. The Solar + Storage Modeling Tool evaluates the benefits of solar, storage, and other distributed energy resources (DERs) and estimates the value proposition of the integrated systems based on their expected optimal operations, location on the grid, market prices, and other characteristics. This is the second of three workshops on the Solar + Storage Modeling Tool.

Agenda

The workshop will present and discuss the cost-effectiveness results produced using the Solar + Storage Modeling Tool in a separate, ongoing EPIC-funded project. The EPIC funded project is led by Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation and aims to address key market barriers to deploy a solar and storage technology system at the Blue Lake Rancheria gas station and convenience store located in Blue Lake, CA. The tool was used to examine the cost-effectiveness of the solar and storage devices installed at the pilot site.

In addition, the workshop will provide a presentation and an in-depth training for stakeholders who are interested in using the tool. E3 will demonstrate the tool and guide stakeholders through the process of creating inputs, analyzing the cases, and viewing the final results.

Staff is seeking input on:

1. Is the tool intuitive to use? Which part(s) of the tool do you want to be more userfriendly?
2. Which capabilities of the tool are most useful and compelling?
3. What essential features or capabilities is the tool missing to be most useful to you?
4. Are the tool’s assumptions, default values, and results accurate and appropriate for each use case?
5. Does the tool and analysis capture the revenue streams you examine in your own project development or evaluation process? If not, what is missing?
6. Which results and outputs do you find to be the most useful?
7. For which regulatory proceedings or policy discussions could the tool provide useful insights?

The primary audience for this workshop includes representatives focused on solar + storage project development evaluation, including utilities, project developers, storage vendors, and policy makers.

For more information

https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/electric-program-investment-charge-epic-program/modeling-tool-maximize