Understanding Simulation Results

HiI just ran a simulation of a 3.4 MW microgrid and have some questions about the results. Does the Annual AC energy in Year 1include power from the utility (grid) as well as the microgrid? Because the summary window shows Year 1 AC energy of 6,469,720 kWh but when I dig into the table data, I calculate that my total system energy (system to load + system to battery) is 2,928,363.19 kWh with the utility accounting to 3,554,595 kWh, meaning my system only covers about 45% of load despite me trying to size it to cover as much as possible. If the AC energy does include utilities then the AC energy and load graph makes more sense(attached). If the Year 1 AC energy is just from the microgrid how could I see that breakdown/where the energy goes?
 I’ve attached the SAM file. I want to make sure I’m reading the results correctly and getting an accurate picture of how well the microgrid is servicing the load.Thanks!Michael

Hi Michael,

The "Annual AC energy in Year 1" value shown in the Metrics table on the Summary tab of the Results page is the total energy delivered to the load and grid over the year. It is the sum of the hourly "Electricity from system to load (year 1 hourly)" and "Electricity to grid (year 1 hourly)" values.

The "Monthly AC Energy and Load in Year 1" graph on the Summary tab shows that for most months, the total load is slightly more than the total energy from the system. For March, April, May and July, the system generates more electricity than the total load: 



Best regards,
Paul.

Thanks Paul I understand better now. Does 'system' include battery discharge to serve load as well? In this inital setup was seeing more 'electricity to grid' than I wanted (no net metering credits) so I increased the battery size and added an interconnection limit. This resulted in less overall generation but also less reliance on the grid so I assume the larger battery was covering. 

Thanks Paul that makes sense and I can see where the values come from the data tables. Unfortunately I have another issue that just cropped up. I was adjusting the component costs for the model to get a more accurate LCOE and when I simulated the system (keeping the original architecture) the Annual AC Energy Year 1 was nearly cut in half and its also happening when simulating files that have the original cost. Any troubleshooting I could do to get the simulation to get back to the original values. File with original cost but new energy values attached.

Best,
Michael

Hi Michael,

The most recent .sam file you attached has a grid interconnection limit of 200 kWac on the Grid Limits page. I think that is what is causing the reduction in electricity to grid in your results.

Best regards,
Paul.