Some questions about the Power Tower module

Hi,

I would like to ask come questions about the Power Tower module performance:

1.-Is it possible to obtain a sub-hourly report in this module?

2.-About the results that can be obtained from the hourly (or sub-hourly, if possible) performance...

2.1.-Could I obtain the hourly receiver efficiency over a year in detail (convection and radiation losses)?
2.2.-Is it possible to know the available energy in storage in each hour?
2.3.-Is it possible to know the operation mode (shutdown, startup, rated operation...) of the different elements of the plant (receiver, Steam Generator System, Turbine...) in each hour?

Thank you in advanced for your help,

Kind regards,

David Méndez

Dear David,

1. If you use a weather file with subhourly data, then SAM will run a subhourly simulation. SAM may not model some thermal effects well at very short time steps, but the results should be reasonable down to 10- or 15-minute time steps.

2. I would recommend installing and running SAM to see the results it generates. You can create a power tower case, and just run the default case to see what the results are like, and whether they meet your needs.

Best regards,
Paul.