HOMERĀ® Pro simulates the engineering and economic feasibility of complex off-grid and grid-tied distributed energy systems that combine conventional and renewable power, storage, and load management. HOMER Energy is the developer and distributor of HOMER software, the global standard for energy modeling tools that analyze solar-plus-storage, microgrids, and other distributed energy projects. By accurately modeling and comparing the financial benefits of different distributed energy investments, HOMER Grid users can reduce financial risk the best mix of resources for the lowest cost. HOMER Grid helps commercial and industrial (C&I) customers reduce demand charges and other electricity costs through the design of behind-the-meter projects that incorporate renewable energy, storage, and other efficient technologies such as combined heat and power (CHP). This feature is especially useful for professionals who normally size inverters as a ratio based on the capacity of the PV array. With the improved capabilities, users are able to size inverters based on the DC/AC ratio, also known as inverter/load ratio. In addition, the latest HOMER Grid version offers enhanced modeling for PV inverters. The latest version of HOMER Grid allows users to create and save these custom tariffs to the HOMER Grid library for frequent use, providing a simplified design process and smoother workflow. However, users modeling a project outside North America or working with wholesale or contracted retail energy pricing need to work with custom tariffs. In order to calculate savings on demand charges and energy costs, HOMER Grid incorporates tens of thousands of US, Canadian, and Mexican utility tariffs. HOMER Grid 1.6 also streamlines the design process by allowing energy professionals to create custom tariffs and save them to the HOMER Grid library.
This feature makes it easier to integrate HOMER Grid simulation results into financial planning reports and produce more accurate forecasts. With the ability to export the operational metrics and economic results into Excel documents, users can incorporate calculations from HOMER Grid simulations into financial models or, using Excel, perform further cash flow analysis. Released this week, HOMER Grid 1.6 provides for close integration with financial modeling tools, easy creation of custom utility tariffs and improved ways to determine the optimal size of PV inverters. The HOMER Grid software, a tool for pre-feasibility analysis of grid-tied distributed energy systems, has three new features that will make it an even more powerful and efficient tool.