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Element Forms

Property form reference for all element types. Forms use collapsible sections and tabs. Changes take effect immediately and reflect on the map and in the element tree.


Electrical Infrastructure

Node

Fundamental geographic locations in the power system. Each node represents a substation, load center, or generation hub. All equipment attaches to a node.

Tab Field Unit Description
General Name -- Display name for the node (e.g., "Saint-Denis Substation")
Index -- Auto-assigned integer index (read-only). Used as the internal identifier.
Latitude / Longitude degrees Geographic position in WGS84. Editable manually or by dragging the node on the map.
Static Reserve MW Minimum spinning reserve requirement at this node. Sets a floor for available generation headroom.
Dynamic Reserve MW Frequency-response reserve requirement. Ensures fast-acting capacity is available for contingencies.
Reserve Duration hours Duration over which reserve capacity must be sustained. Default is 1 hour.
Losses fraction Distribution losses at this node (0.0 to 1.0). Applied as a multiplier to served demand. A value of 0.03 means 3% of generation is lost in local distribution.
Transference Investment Cost $/MW Cost per MW to increase transfer capacity at this node. Used by the optimizer when expanding interconnections.
Transference Investment Max MW Maximum allowable transfer capacity expansion at this node.
Demand Demand File path CSV or Excel file with hourly demand data in MW. Must contain 8760 values per year (or 8784 for leap years). Use the file browser button to select.
Peak Demand MW Auto-calculated from the demand file. Shows the maximum hourly demand value. Read-only.
Total Energy MWh Annual energy consumption, auto-calculated by summing all hourly values. Read-only.
Technologies (table) -- Per-technology maximum installable capacity at this node. Each row shows a technology name, category, existing capacity, investment cost, and maximum investment. Technologies are defined at the system level and this table controls node-specific limits.

Tips: - The demand file can be in CSV format with a single column of MW values, or an Excel file with the first column containing the data. - If no demand file is assigned, the node is treated as a pure generation or transit node (zero demand). - The Technologies table inherits from the system-level technology definitions. Override values here to set node-specific constraints.

Generator

All forms of electricity production: solar PV, wind turbines, diesel engines, gas turbines, etc.

Section Field Unit Description
Identity Name -- Generator name (e.g., "Solar Farm North")
Type -- Renewable or Non-renewable. Determines how the generator counts toward RE penetration targets.
Fuel -- Primary energy source: Solar, Wind, Water (hydro), OTEC, Diesel, Natural Gas, Fuel Oil, Biomass, Biogas, Hydrogen, Nuclear, Geothermal, etc.
Node -- Parent node index. Can be changed by selecting a different node from the dropdown.
Capacity Rated Power MW Nameplate capacity. The maximum power output under standard conditions.
Minimum Power MW Minimum stable output. Relevant for thermal generators that cannot operate below a certain level without shutting down. Set to 0 for renewables.
Availability Profile path CSV file with hourly capacity factors (0.0 to 1.0) for renewable generators. Each value represents the fraction of rated power available in that hour. Must contain 8760 values per year. Not used for dispatchable generators.
Operating Efficiency at Rated fraction Conversion efficiency at full load (0.0 to 1.0). For thermal generators, this is the inverse of the heat rate.
Efficiency at Minimum fraction Conversion efficiency at minimum stable output. Typically lower than efficiency at rated power.
Ramp Up Rate MW/h Maximum rate of output increase per hour. Constrains how quickly the generator can respond to demand changes.
Ramp Down Rate MW/h Maximum rate of output decrease per hour.
Min Up Time hours Minimum duration the generator must remain on after starting. Only effective in unit commitment mode.
Min Down Time hours Minimum duration the generator must remain off after shutting down. Only effective in unit commitment mode.
Degradation Rate fraction/year Annual capacity degradation. A value of 0.005 means 0.5% capacity loss per year. Applied cumulatively over the generator's lifetime.
Costs Fuel Cost $/MWh Variable fuel cost per MWh of electrical output. For renewables, this is typically 0.
Cost Curve dropdown Marginal cost model: Flat (default), Linear, Stepwise, or Exponential. See the Cost Curve Widgets section below.
Fixed Cost $/MW/year Annual fixed operation and maintenance cost per MW of installed capacity. Incurred regardless of output.
Maintenance Cost $/MWh Variable operation and maintenance cost per MWh of generation. Covers wear and consumables.
Start-up Cost $ Cost incurred each time the generator starts. Only effective in unit commitment mode.
Investment Cost $/MW Capital cost for building new capacity of this generator type. Used by the master problem optimizer.
Max Investment MW Maximum new capacity that the optimizer is allowed to build for this generator. Set to 0 to prevent investment.
Electrical Inertia Constant s Rotational inertia contribution (H constant). Relevant for synchronous generators. Set to 0 for inverter-based resources (solar, wind, batteries).
Reserve Contribution fraction Fraction of online capacity available for spinning reserve provision (0.0 to 1.0).
Lifecycle Lifetime years Expected operational life. The optimizer retires the generator when its age exceeds this value.
Initial Age years Current age of existing units. Used to calculate remaining useful life. New investments start at age 0.
Appearance Color hex Marker color on the map (e.g., "#27AE60" for green)
Icon Shape -- Marker shape: circle, square, diamond, triangle-up, triangle-down, hexagon, pentagon, horizontal-bar, star
Size pixels Marker size. Auto-scales with capacity by default; override here for manual control.
Opacity 0-1 Marker opacity.

Reservoir Mode (Hydro Generators)

When the fuel type is set to Water (hydroelectric), the reservoir section appears. Hydro is then dispatched against a water-energy budget rather than as firm capacity.

Field Unit Description
Reservoir Capacity MWh Maximum energy storage capacity of the reservoir
Initial Level fraction Starting water level as a fraction of reservoir capacity
Minimum / Maximum Level fraction Allowed water-level band
Inflow Profile path CSV file with hourly water inflow in MW-equivalent
Turbine / Pump Efficiency fraction Conversion efficiencies; pump capacity enables pumped storage
Spillage Allowed -- Permit uncontrolled release when the reservoir is full
Min Environmental Flow MW Mandatory minimum release (turbined and/or spilled) for ecological flow
Head Min. Power Factor 0-1 Available turbine power at the minimum level. 1.0 = no head effect; below 1.0 the peak power scales linearly with the fill level (a low reservoir delivers less power)
Cascade Downstream Reservoir -- Another reservoir generator that receives this unit's release (hydraulic cascade). Picked from the other reservoirs in the system
Cascade Travel Delay h Water travel time before the release reaches the downstream reservoir
Reservoir Expansion Cost / Max $/MWh, MWh Optional endogenous reservoir capacity expansion

Seasonal hydro

Enable Inter-Period Storage Linking in Global Settings to let reservoirs carry water across representative periods — water banked in a wet season is then available in a later dry one, instead of the level being cyclic within each period. The same toggle drives seasonal carry-over for batteries.

Battery

All forms of energy storage: lithium-ion, flow batteries, pumped hydro, compressed air, etc.

Section Field Unit Description
Identity Name -- Storage system name (e.g., "Li-ion Battery Bank A")
Node -- Location node index
Capacity Energy Capacity MWh Total energy storage capacity. Determines how long the battery can discharge at rated power.
Charge Power MW Maximum charging rate. May differ from discharge power for asymmetric storage.
Discharge Power MW Maximum discharging rate.
Efficiency Charge Efficiency fraction Charging efficiency (0.0 to 1.0). Energy lost during charging = (1 - charge_efficiency) x charge_power.
Discharge Efficiency fraction Discharging efficiency (0.0 to 1.0). Energy delivered = stored_energy x discharge_efficiency.
Self-Discharge Rate fraction/hour Standing energy losses per hour. A value of 0.0001 means 0.01% of stored energy lost each hour.
SOC Limits Initial SOC fraction Starting state of charge (0.0 to 1.0). The optimizer enforces cyclic SOC: the battery must return to this level at the end of each dispatch window.
Minimum SOC fraction Depth of discharge limit. Prevents the battery from discharging below this level to preserve cycle life.
Maximum SOC fraction Upper charge limit. Some chemistries degrade faster when charged to 100%.
Duration Minimum Duration hours Minimum allowed energy-to-power ratio (E/P). Constrains investment decisions.
Maximum Duration hours Maximum allowed energy-to-power ratio.
Costs Investment Cost (Power) $/MW Capital cost per MW of power capacity for new installations.
Investment Cost (Capacity) $/MWh Capital cost per MWh of energy capacity for new installations.
Maintenance Cost $/MWh Variable O&M cost per MWh of throughput (charge + discharge).
Discharge Cost Curve dropdown Discharge cost model: Flat (default), Linear, Stepwise, or Exponential. See Cost Curve Widgets below.
Max Investment Power MW Maximum new power capacity the optimizer may build.
Max Investment Capacity MWh Maximum new energy capacity the optimizer may build.
Lifecycle Lifetime years Expected operational life in years.
Appearance Color, Icon Shape, Size -- Visual style on the map

Cost Curve Widgets

Generator and battery forms include a cost curve dropdown controlling the marginal cost model:

  • Flat (default) -- No additional widgets. Uses flat Fuel Cost (generator) or Maintenance Cost (battery). Suitable for most renewables and simple thermal units.

  • Linear -- Two additional fields appear:

  • Price at Zero ($/MWh) -- Marginal cost when output is zero (intercept).
  • Price at Max ($/MWh) -- Marginal cost at full rated output (slope endpoint).
  • Segments spinner (2--20, default 5) -- Controls the piecewise-linear (PWL) approximation resolution. More segments yield a smoother curve but increase the number of constraints in the optimization.

The cost increases linearly from Price at Zero to Price at Max as output goes from 0 to rated power.

  • Stepwise -- A dynamic table appears where each row defines a generation block:
  • Fraction -- Fraction of rated capacity for this block (e.g., 0.4 means 40% of rated power).
  • Price ($/MWh) -- Marginal cost for generation within this block.
  • Use the + button to add blocks and the - button to remove them.
  • Constraint: Fractions must sum to exactly 1.0. Prices should be non-decreasing (cheapest block first).
  • The optimizer dispatches blocks in order of increasing price, ensuring economic efficiency.

  • Exponential -- Two fields appear:

  • Base Price ($/MWh) -- Cost at zero output.
  • Scale Factor -- Exponential growth rate.
  • Segments spinner -- PWL approximation resolution.
  • The cost follows the curve base_price * exp(scale_factor * P/P_max), which models increasing marginal cost at high utilization levels.

Transmission Line

Electrical power connections between nodes: overhead lines, underground cables, or submarine cables.

Section Field Unit Description
Identity Line ID -- Unique string identifier (auto-assigned, e.g., "line_0")
From / To -- Connected endpoints displayed as type:id references (e.g., "node:0", "node:3"). Set automatically during polyline trace.
Type -- Construction type: Overhead, Underground, or Submarine. Affects default impedance parameters.
Capacity Rated Capacity MW Maximum power transfer capacity in either direction.
Voltage kV Operating voltage level. Used for DC power flow calculations.
Circuits -- Number of parallel circuits. Total capacity = Rated Capacity x Circuits.
Impedance Resistance pu Per-unit resistance (R). Higher values increase resistive losses.
Reactance pu Per-unit reactance (X). Determines power flow distribution in DC-OPF.
Susceptance pu Per-unit susceptance (B). Line charging effect.
Base Impedance ohm Base impedance value for converting between physical ohms and per-unit.
Geometry Length km Auto-calculated from the polyline coordinates (geodesic distance). Can be overridden manually.
Investment Investment Cost $/MW Cost per MW for capacity expansion.
Max Investment MW Maximum additional capacity the optimizer may build.
Actions Edit Trace toggle Enable/disable polyline vertex editing mode.

Transformer

Connects buses at different voltage levels within or between nodes.

Field Unit Description
Name -- Transformer name
From Bus / To Bus -- Primary (high voltage) and secondary (low voltage) side bus IDs
From Voltage / To Voltage kV Primary and secondary voltage levels
Rated Power MVA Transformer power rating
Impedance pu Transformer series impedance in per-unit
No-Load Losses fraction Iron core losses as a fraction of rated power (constant)
Load Losses fraction Copper losses at full load as a fraction of rated power (proportional to load squared)
Tap Ratio -- Turns ratio adjustment (1.0 = nominal). Range typically 0.9-1.1.

Bus

Electrical connection points at specific voltage levels within a node, enabling multi-voltage substations and complex internal topologies.

Field Unit Description
Bus ID -- Unique identifier (auto-assigned, e.g., "bus_0")
Name -- Bus name (e.g., "110kV Busbar A")
Parent Node -- Node index this bus belongs to
Voltage kV Bus voltage level. Determines which equipment can connect directly.
Frequency Hz System frequency: 50 Hz or 60 Hz
Current Type -- AC or DC. Determines the power flow model used.
Demand Fraction fraction Share of the parent node's demand served by this bus. All bus demand fractions within a node must sum to 1.0.
Is Slack boolean Whether this bus serves as the reference (slack) bus for DC power flow angle calculations.

AC/DC Converter

Interfaces between AC and DC buses for HVDC transmission and DC-coupled storage.

Field Unit Description
Name -- Converter name
Converter Type -- VSC (Voltage Source Converter) or LCC (Line-Commutated Converter). VSC supports independent P/Q control; LCC is simpler but requires reactive power support.
AC Bus -- Connected AC bus ID
DC Bus -- Connected DC bus ID
Rated Power MW Maximum power transfer capacity
Rectifier Efficiency fraction AC-to-DC conversion efficiency (0.0 to 1.0)
Inverter Efficiency fraction DC-to-AC conversion efficiency (0.0 to 1.0)
Reactive Power Min MVAr Minimum reactive power capability (negative = absorb)
Reactive Power Max MVAr Maximum reactive power capability (positive = generate)
Standby Losses MW No-load power consumption when the converter is energized but not transferring power

Frequency Converter

Interconnects systems operating at different frequencies (e.g., 50 Hz and 60 Hz).

Field Unit Description
Name -- Converter name
From Bus / To Bus -- Input and output bus IDs
From Frequency / To Frequency Hz Input and output system frequencies
Rated Power MW Maximum power transfer capacity
Forward Efficiency fraction Efficiency in the from-to direction
Reverse Efficiency fraction Efficiency in the to-from direction

Fuel Infrastructure

Fuel Source

A location where fuel enters the system — a port, pipeline terminal, or LNG terminal — together with the supply characteristics of each fuel delivered there. Placed on the map and configured per fuel. (A Fuel Source is the single fuel-supply concept; earlier versions split it into a separate "Fuel Entry Point" and "Fuel Source".)

Field Unit Description
Name -- Source name (e.g., "Port of Mariel LNG Terminal")
Node -- Associated network node index
Fuels -- Fuel types supplied here (add/remove).
Per-fuel table For each fuel:
-- Max Import Rate units/h Maximum supply (import) rate
-- Import Cost $/unit Cost per unit of fuel supplied here
-- Transit (days/100km) days/100km Source→tank replenishment lead time. Models supply stress: a shipment dispatched now arrives after this delay scaled by route distance. 0 = instantaneous.
-- Disrupt. Start (h) hour Supply-disruption window start (inclusive).
-- Disrupt. End (h) hour Supply-disruption window end (exclusive). end <= start disables the disruption.
-- Disrupt. Avail. (0-1) fraction Availability during the disruption window (0 = full cut, 1 = no disruption).

Fuel Storage

Tank farms, gas holders, and other fuel stockpiling facilities.

Field Unit Description
Name -- Facility name
Node -- Location node index
Fuels -- Stored fuel types (multi-select)
Per-fuel table For each selected fuel:
-- Capacity MWh Maximum storage capacity in energy-equivalent terms
-- Initial Level MWh Starting fuel inventory
-- Minimum Level MWh Minimum required fuel reserve (strategic reserve floor)

Fuel Transport Route

Pipelines, shipping lanes, and other fuel delivery pathways between nodes.

Field Unit Description
From / To -- Source and destination endpoint references
Fuels -- Transported fuels (multi-select)
Per-fuel table For each selected fuel:
-- Capacity MW Maximum transport rate
-- Cost $/MWh/km Distance-dependent transport cost
-- Loss Fraction fraction/100km Fuel lost during transport per 100 km
Edit Trace toggle Enable polyline vertex editing for route geometry

Fuel Properties

System-level fuel definitions setting global parameters for each fuel type.

Field Unit Description
Fuel Name -- Identifier (e.g., Diesel, Natural Gas, Hydrogen, Ammonia)
Emission Factor tCO2/MWh CO2 emissions per unit of energy content. Set to 0 for zero-carbon fuels (hydrogen from electrolysis, ammonia).
Energy Content MWh/unit Energy density. Left blank for renewable sources (Solar, Wind, Water, OTEC) which have no fuel consumption.
Price Base $/MWh Base fuel price at the start of the simulation horizon
Price Growth Rate %/year Annual price escalation rate. A value of 2.0 means fuel price increases 2% per year.

Electrolyzer

Converts electricity to hydrogen, enabling power-to-gas coupling.

Section Field Unit Description
Identity Name -- Electrolyzer name
Type -- Technology: PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane), Alkaline, or SOE (Solid Oxide Electrolyzer). Each has different efficiency, cost, and ramp characteristics.
Bus -- Connected electrical bus ID
Capacity Rated Power MW Maximum electrical input power
Minimum Power MW Minimum stable operating point
Efficiency At Rated Load fraction Conversion efficiency at full power (electricity to hydrogen energy content)
At Minimum Load fraction Efficiency at minimum operating point. Typically lower than rated efficiency for PEM and Alkaline.
Economics Investment Cost $/MW Capital cost for new electrolyzer capacity
Maintenance Cost $/MWh Variable O&M cost per MWh of electricity consumed
Water Cost $/MWh Cost of water consumption per MWh of electricity consumed
Lifecycle Lifetime years Expected operational life before stack replacement
Degradation Rate %/year Annual efficiency degradation
Operating Ramp Up Rate MW/h Maximum power increase per hour
Ramp Down Rate MW/h Maximum power decrease per hour

Development Zone

Geographic areas where the optimizer may install new generation capacity.

Field Unit Description
Name -- Zone name (e.g., "Northern Solar Zone")
Technology -- Generation technology permitted: Solar PV, Wind (onshore/offshore), etc.
Max Capacity MW Maximum total installable capacity within this zone
Interconnection Cost $ Fixed cost for grid connection infrastructure
Allowed Generators -- Generator types permitted in this zone (checkboxes). Restricts which technologies the optimizer considers.
Interconnection Node -- Node to which zone generation connects
Edit Polygon toggle Enable boundary vertex editing mode

EV Configuration

Per-system electric vehicle configuration with four tabs.

Categories Tab

Define EV types with their electrical characteristics:

Field Unit Description
Category Name -- EV type (e.g., "Light Vehicle", "Bus", "Truck", "Motorcycle")
Battery Capacity kWh Onboard battery capacity per vehicle
Charging Power kW Maximum charging rate per vehicle
Discharge Power kW Maximum V2G discharge rate per vehicle (0 if V2G not supported)
V2G Participation fraction Fraction of vehicles in this category that participate in vehicle-to-grid services
Charging Efficiency fraction Charger efficiency (AC-to-battery)
Discharge Efficiency fraction V2G discharge efficiency (battery-to-AC)

Initial SOC Tab

Per-node initial state of charge for each EV category. A table with nodes as rows and categories as columns. Values are fractions (0.0 to 1.0).

Quantities Tab

Per-node vehicle count for each EV category. A table with nodes as rows and categories as columns. Integer values representing the number of vehicles at each location.

Patterns Tab

24-hour charging pattern templates that define when vehicles are available for charging/discharging:

Field Description
Pattern Name Template name (e.g., "Residential Overnight", "Workplace Daytime")
Hourly Availability 24 values (one per hour) representing the fraction of vehicles available for charging in each hour (0.0 to 1.0)
Category Assignment Which EV categories use this pattern

Rooftop Solar

Per-system distributed rooftop PV configuration.

Section Field Description
Settings Adoption Scenario Low, Medium, or High growth curve. Controls the S-curve adoption trajectory over the planning horizon.
Weather Variability Factor for inter-annual solar resource variation
Performance Performance Ratio System-level efficiency factor (typically 0.75-0.85)
Degradation Rate Annual panel degradation (%/year)
Inverter Efficiency DC-to-AC conversion efficiency
Cost per kW Installation cost per kW of rooftop PV
O&M Cost per kW/year Annual maintenance cost
Per-node table Number of Systems Total rooftop PV installations at this node
Average Size kW per installation
Adoption Rate Current adoption fraction (0.0 to 1.0)
Max Adoption Maximum possible adoption fraction
Adoption Limits Low Scenario Max Maximum adoption under the low growth scenario
Medium Scenario Max Maximum adoption under the medium growth scenario
High Scenario Max Maximum adoption under the high growth scenario

Multi-Select Editing

Selecting multiple elements of the same type (Ctrl+Click in the tree or on the map) enters batch-edit mode:

  • Fields with identical values across all selected elements show that value normally.
  • Fields with different values across the selection show "Mixed" in a gray italic font.
  • Changing a field applies the new value to all selected elements simultaneously.
  • Fields that are inherently unique (ID, name, position) cannot be batch-edited and appear disabled.

Useful for: - Setting uniform fuel costs across all diesel generators. - Updating investment costs for all batteries simultaneously. - Applying a common availability profile to all solar generators.

Use Shift+Click in the Element Tree for range selection (all items between the last selected and the clicked item).


Form Validation

Immediate visual feedback to catch errors early:

  • Red border -- Invalid value (negative capacity, efficiency outside 0-1 range, missing required field). A tooltip explains the issue.
  • Yellow border -- Unusual but technically valid value (very high cost, zero efficiency, capacity exceeding 10 GW). A tooltip suggests reviewing.
  • Green check -- Value passes all validation rules.
  • Tooltips -- Hover over any field label for a description of the parameter and its acceptable range.

Validation runs on every keystroke or value change.


Deleting Elements

Deleting an element with dependents (e.g., a node with attached generators, a bus with connected lines) triggers a confirmation dialog listing:

  • The element being deleted.
  • All dependent elements that will be removed (generators, batteries, lines referencing the node, etc.).
  • Any inter-system links that reference the deleted element.

The deletion is atomic: either all elements are removed, or none are (if cancelled).