5 Results
After running the optimization, the Results window displays the complete output of the optimization process. This chapter explains each section of the Results view.
The Results window is organized into several collapsible sections, each presenting different aspects of the optimization output. The following sections provide detailed explanations of each component of the results.
5.1 Opening results
To view the results of a scenario:
- In the Sidebar, expand the scenario you want to analyze
- Click on Results
- The Main window will display results
Results are only available after a successful optimization run.
5.2 Quick summary
At the top of the Results window, a quick summary provides immediate insight into the investment viability:
- Optimal system diagram: The diagram showing only components that are existing, i.e. size greater than 0, in the optimal solution.
- Total profit: The amount of money the recommended investment could generate or save over the defined project lifetime compared to the no-investment case
- Payback period: The number of years required for the investment to pay for itself through generated savings or revenue
5.3 Key recommendations (optimal sizes)
The Key recommendations section presents the optimal sizes of all major components in your energy system. These are the capacities that the optimization algorithm has determined will maximize the economic performance while meeting all technical constraints. The optimal sizes are presented for the current situation, optimal case, and their difference.
5.3.1 Components displayed
The following components are shown with their optimal sizes:
| Component | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PV capacity | kWp | Total photovoltaic system capacity |
| Battery storage | kWh | Total battery energy storage capacity |
| Battery converter | kW | Power conversion system capacity for battery |
| Electrolyser capacity | kW | Total electrolyser capacity for hydrogen production |
| Fuel cell capacity | kW | Total fuel cell capacity for power generation |
| H2 storage | kg | Hydrogen storage tank capacity |
| O2 storage | kg | Oxygen storage tank capacity |
| EV chargers | - | Number of EV chargers |
| Grid connection | kW | Electrical grid connection capacity |
5.3.2 How to interpret
- Components with zero values are not recommended for installation in the optimal configuration.
- These sizes represent the economically optimal solution based on your inputs.
5.4 Operational overview
The Operational overview section shows how the optimized system operates over time.
5.4.1 Yearly energy and material flows
This table summarizes the annual energy flows for each component, expressed in MWh/year, for the current situation, optimal case, and their difference:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| PV generation | Total electricity produced by photovoltaic system |
| REP utilization | Renewable energy system utilization |
| EV charging | Electricity consumed by the EV chargers |
| Electrolyser consumption | Electricity consumed by electrolyser for hydrogen production |
| Fuel cell generation | Electricity generated by fuel cell |
| BESS charging | Energy that went in battery |
| BESS discharging | Energy discharged from battery |
This table summarizes the annual material flows for each component, expressed in kWh, kg, or m3, for the current situation, optimal case, and their difference:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Amount of produced hydrogen | Annual hydrogen produced by the electrolyser |
| Amount of sold hydrogen | Amount of hydrogen sold to all customers and the gas grid combined. |
| Amount of produced oxygen | Annual oxygen produced by the electrolyser |
| Amount of sold oxygen | Amount of oxygen sold to all customers combined. |
| Amount of waste heat used | Heat produced by the electrolyser and/or the fuel cell directly used. |
| Amount of water taken from the grid | Annual water consumed in m3. |
| Amount of rainwater used | Annual rainwater consumption in m3. |
5.4.2 Hourly production and sales profiles
The operational overview includes interactive charts showing:
Electrical Power Flows: A time-series chart showing electricity generation and consumption over the simulation period.
Non-Electrical Flows: Shows hydrogen production, hydrogen sales, oxygen sales, and heat sales over time.
Tank States (Mass): Shows the hydrogen and oxygen storage levels over time.
5.5 Financial specification
The Financial Results section provides a comprehensive economic analysis of the optimized system.
5.5.1 Costs, revenues, and profits
This table presents the basic financial metrics, for the current situation, optimal case, and their difference:
| Indicator | Description |
|---|---|
| Total investment cost (CAPEX) | The total upfront capital expenditure required to build the system, including all components and installation costs |
| Yearly operational cost (OPEX) | Annual operating expenses including maintenance, consumables, and variable costs |
| Yearly revenue | Annual income generated from selling hydrogen, oxygen, heat, or electricity |
| Yearly profit | Annual net profit defined as \(REVENUE - OPEX\) |
5.5.2 Financial indicators
The financial indicators table provides advanced metrics for investment analysis.
5.5.2.1 Payback period
The payback period, also refered to as payoff period represents the time required for the cumulative cash flows from the investment to equal the initial capital expenditure.
Formula: \[N_{payoff} = \frac{CAPEX}{Profit_{total} - Profit_{exist}}\]
Where:
- \(CAPEX\) = Total investment cost
- \(Profit_{total}\) = Annual profit with the new system
- \(Profit_{exist}\) = Annual profit from existing infrastructure only
5.5.2.2 Net present value (NPV)
NPV calculates the present value of all cash flows over the project lifetime, discounted at the specified rate. A positive NPV indicates that the investment is financially attractive.
Formula: \[NPV = -CAPEX + (Profit_{total} - Profit_{exist}) \times \frac{1 - (1+R)^{-N_{DL}}}{R}\]
Where:
- \(R\) = Discount rate
- \(N_{DL}\) = Project lifetime in years
5.5.2.3 Return on investment (ROI)
ROI expresses the total return on investment as a percentage over the project lifetime.
Formula: \[ROI = N_{DL} \times \frac{Profit_{total} - Profit_{exist}}{CAPEX} \times 100\%\]
5.5.2.4 Internal rate of return (IRR)
IRR is the discount rate that makes the NPV equal to zero. It represents the effective annual return on the investment. If the IRR exceeds your required rate of return, the investment is worthwhile.
5.5.2.5 Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE)
LCOE represents the average cost per unit of electricity produced by the system over its lifetime. It allows comparison with grid electricity prices or other generation technologies.
Formula: \[LCOE = \frac{PROFIT_{total\_without\_en} - PROFIT_{exist} - \frac{CAPEX}{N_{DL}}}{E_{consumed}} \times 1000\]
Unit: €/MWh
- \(PROFIT_{total\_without\_en}\) stands for annual profit without cost of electricity in [€].
- \(E_{consumed}\) stands for annual amount of electricity imported into the hydrogen hub in [kWh].
5.5.2.6 Levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH)
LCOH represents the average cost per kilogram of hydrogen produced. This is particularly useful for comparing hydrogen production costs from different technologies or against market prices.
Formula: \[LCOH = \frac{\frac{CAPEX}{N_{DL}} + PROFIT_{exist} - PROFIT_{total\_without\_H2}}{m_{H2,sold}}\]
Unit: €/kg
- \(PROFIT_{total\_without\_H2}\) stands for annual profit without revenue from selling hydrogen [€].
- \(m_{H2,sold}\) stands for annual amount of hydrogen sold on the market in [kg].
5.6 Detailed investment specification
The Detailed investment specification section provides a breakdown of each component’s optimal size and corresponding investment cost.
5.6.1 Components included
The table includes all system components: Here’s the table converted to sentence case:
| Component | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PV system | kWp | Solar photovoltaic installation |
| Battery storage | kWh | Battery capacity |
| Battery converter | kW | Power electronics for battery |
| EV chargers | - | Number of chargers |
| Electrolyser | kW | Hydrogen production equipment |
| Fuel cell | kW | Power generation from hydrogen |
| Hydrogen tank | kg | Hydrogen storage vessel |
| Oxygen tank | kg | Oxygen storage vessel |
| Grid connection | kW | Electrical grid interface |
| H2 compressor 1/2 | kg/h | Hydrogen compression equipment |
| O2 compressor | kg/h | Oxygen compression equipment |
| Water demineralizer | kW | Water treatment for electrolysis |
| Water pump | kW | Water supply pumping |
| Water grid connection | kg/h | Municipal water connection |
| Rainwater harvesting | m² | Rainwater collection area |
| Water tank | m³ | Water storage |
| Heat exchanger | kW | Heat recovery subsystem |
| Gas grid connection | kg/h | Hydrogen pipeline or delivery connection |
5.6.2 How to read this table
- Optimal Size: The capacity recommended by the optimization
- Corresponding Cost: The calculated capital cost based on the component’s cost parameters
- Components with zero size are not recommended for the optimal configuration
5.7 Detailed yearly operational specification
This section provides a detailed breakdown of annual production and consumption quantities for all resources. For each subsection, following values are presented in a table, for the current situation, optimal case, and their difference:
5.7.1 Electricity from the grid
- Electrical energy bought from the grid [kWh] and its cost [€]
- Electrical energy sold to the grid [kWh] and its revenue [€]
- Electrical energy bought from the REP [kWh] and its cost [€]
- Grid fees applicable to the electricity [€]
- Yearly peak power [kW] and its cost [€]
- Fixed electricity consumption [kWh]
5.7.2 EV chargers
- Electrical energy sold to the EV customers [kWh] and its revenue [€]
- Total number of customers served, with numbers and shares of:
- Fixed demand customers
- Flexible demand customers
- V2G demand customers
5.7.3 PV production
- Total energy generated by the PV system [kWh]
- Energy from each array separately [kWh]
5.7.4 BESS
- Electricity stored in the BESS [kWh]: Amount of energy used for charging the BESS.
- Electricity losses [kWh]: The difference between charged and discharged amounts of energy.
- Number of yearly cycles [-]: Number of cycles that the battery goes through.
- Replacement after [years]: Number of year after which the battery should be replaced.
5.7.5 Electrolyser and hydrogen production
- Electricity used for hydrogen production [kWh]
- Amount of produced hydrogen [kg]
- Total amount of sold hydrogen [kg] and its revenue [€]
- Hydrogen purchased by each customer individually [kg] and its revenue [€]
- Hydrogen injected into the gas grid [kg] and its revenue [€]
- Percentage of satisifed hydrogen demand [%]
- Total hydrogen production efficiency [%]
- Number of electrolyser working hours
- Average electrolyser load (only working hours) [%]
- Average electrolyser load (all hours) [%]
5.7.6 Electrolyser by-products
- Amount of produced oxygen [kg]
- Total amount of sold oxygen [kg] and its revenue [€]
- Percentage of sold oxygen [%]
- Percentage of satisfied oxygen demand [%]
- Amount of produced heat [MWh]
- Amount of sold heat [MWh] and its revenue [€]
- Delivered percentage of heating demand [%]
- Used percentage of produced heat [%]
5.7.7 Fuel cell stack
- Amount of hydrogen used for the fuel cell stack [kg]
- Electricity generated by the fuel cell stack [kWh]
- Round-trip efficiency (from electricity to hydrogen to electricity) [%]
- Number of fuel cell stack working hours [h]
- Average fuel cell stack load (only working hours) [%]
- Average fuel cell stack load (all hours) [%]
5.8 Exporting results
Results can be exported in PDF format by clicking at Export to pdf button at the top of the Results page.