Homer Energy Modeling Software 56

HOMER Energy Modeling Software 56

HOMER (Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources) is a software tool that helps design and optimize hybrid power systems, such as microgrids, distributed generation, and grid-connected systems. HOMER can simulate the operation and economics of different combinations of renewable and conventional energy sources, storage devices, and load management strategies. HOMER can also perform sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of uncertain variables, such as fuel prices, wind speed, solar radiation, and load growth.

HOMER was originally developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States, and has been used by more than 250,000 energy professionals in over 190 countries. HOMER is now distributed and enhanced by UL Solutions, a global leader in safety science and engineering services. HOMER has several versions and modules that cater to different needs and applications of hybrid power system design. Some of the main products are:

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HOMER Pro: This is the flagship product of HOMER, which can model a wide range of hybrid power systems with various components, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind turbines, diesel generators, batteries, converters, biomass, hydro, combined heat and power (CHP), advanced load, advanced grid, hydrogen, and multi-year. HOMER Pro features a proprietary optimization algorithm that can find the least-cost solution for a given system configuration and objective function. HOMER Pro also has a MATLAB link module that allows users to customize their own models and algorithms using MATLAB scripts.

HOMER Grid: This is a product that focuses on grid-connected systems with solar PV and energy storage. HOMER Grid can help users optimize the return on investment (ROI), reduce energy costs, increase resilience, and cut carbon emissions for grid-connected facilities and electric vehicle charging stations. HOMER Grid can also model demand charges, time-of-use rates, net metering, self-consumption, and other tariff structures that affect the economics of grid-connected systems.

HOMER Legacy: This is the original version of HOMER that was developed at NREL. It is still available for free download from the NREL website. HOMER Legacy can model hybrid power systems with solar PV, wind turbines, diesel generators, batteries, converters, hydro, and biomass. However, it has some limitations compared to HOMER Pro, such as a fixed time step of one hour, a maximum of two generators, no optimization or sensitivity analysis capabilities, and no modules for CHP, advanced load, advanced grid, hydrogen, or multi-year.

HOMER Energy Modeling Software 56 is the latest version of HOMER Pro that was released in October 2023. It includes several new features and improvements over the previous versions. Some of the highlights are:

Improved user interface: The user interface of HOMER Pro has been redesigned to make it more intuitive and user-friendly. The main screen now has four tabs: Overview, Simulation Results, Optimization Results, and Sensitivity Results. The Overview tab shows a graphical representation of the system configuration and the key inputs and outputs. The Simulation Results tab shows the detailed performance and economics of each simulated system. The Optimization Results tab shows the Pareto frontier of optimal solutions based on different objective functions. The Sensitivity Results tab shows how the optimal solution changes with different values of uncertain variables.

New components: HOMER Pro 56 has added two new components to its library: fuel cells and electric vehicles. Fuel cells are devices that convert chemical energy from hydrogen or other fuels into electricity and heat. They can be used as primary or backup power sources for hybrid power systems. Electric vehicles are vehicles that use electricity as their main source of propulsion. They can be charged from the grid or from renewable energy sources. They can also provide vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services by discharging electricity back to the grid when needed.

New modules: HOMER Pro 56 has added two new modules to its portfolio: advanced storage and multi-year. The advanced storage module allows users to model more complex storage technologies and strategies, such as flow batteries, thermal storage, pumped hydro storage, flywheels, supercapacitors, and hybrid storage systems. The multi-year module allows users to model the long-term performance and economics of hybrid power systems over multiple years, taking into account factors such as degradation, maintenance, replacement, inflation, and escalation.

HOMER Energy Modeling Software 56 is a powerful and versatile tool that can help users design and optimize hybrid power systems for various applications and scenarios. It can also help users evaluate the feasibility, reliability, and sustainability of hybrid power systems in different contexts and environments. HOMER Energy Modeling Software 56 is available for purchase or subscription from the UL Solutions website. Users can also download a free 21-day trial version to explore its capabilities and features.

References:

[HOMER - Hybrid Renewable and Distributed Generation System Design Software]

[HOMER Microgrid and Hybrid Power Modeling Software]

[HOMER Pro - Microgrid Software for Designing Optimized Hybrid Microgrids]

[HOMER Optimizerâ]

[MATLAB Link Module]

[HOMER Grid Design and Optimization Software for Solar, Energy Storage, Demand Response]

[HOMER Grid Features]

[HOMER: The Micropower Optimization Model. National Renewable Energy Laboratory]

[HOMER Legacy]

[Buy HOMER Pro HOMER Energy by UL]

[Download HOMER Pro HOMER Energy by UL]

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