CHP/District Energy Software Tools

CHP/District Energy Software Tools

 RELCOST
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RELCOST Financial - Economic Calculator  Available Now!

The RELCOST Financial model, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template, is used for evaluating the financial viability of energy projects.  It can be used to evaluate a variety of factors key to project success, such as the minimum power sales or carbon offset price, the optimum mix of equity and capital to attract investors, or sensitivity to incentives.  Three methods of evaluating financial performance are provided by RELCOST: life cycle cost analysis, proforma statements, and financial ratios.

Proforma financial statements provided are the Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Balance Sheet, and Sources/Uses of Funds Statement for each project year in the 20-year analysis period.  Flexible user inputs include capital costs for construction, funding (equity, grants, and loans), operating costs (purchased fuels, labor, materials/expendables, etc.), taxes and fees (depreciation, tax credits, franchise costs, tax rates, etc.), cost escalation factors, income from energy, power and co-product sales, and income from sales of carbon offsets, renewable energy credits and renewable energy production incentives.  Use of financial ratios and other financial performance indicators enable the RELCOST user to evaluate project financial outcomes under various model scenarios.  These model scenarios are displayed on a Financial Scorecard in a stop-light chart (Red-Yellow-Green) for quick assessment.  The ability to rapidly conduct "What If" evaluations using sensitivity factors on key project inputs enables the user to determine those factors that represent the greatest amount of risk to the project, obtain guidance on key points of negotiation, identify break-even values, and examine alternative scenarios.

RELCOST Downloads

RELCOST Financial Blank Template and User's Manual

RELCOST Examples

Presentations

Farm Energy Assessment Meeting Portland, OR September 18, 2009

HEATMAP and RELCOST Workshop Accra, Ghana, May 13 to 15, 2009

GeoFund IGA-Geothermal Workshop Istanbul, Turkey 15-20 February 2009

*These are not the current version of the spreadsheet and should be used only as example applications.  Download the blank template above for the current version.

RELCOST Financial - Economic Calculator  Available Now!

The RELCOST Financial model, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template, is used for evaluating the financial viability of energy projects.  It can be used to evaluate a variety of factors key to project success, such as the minimum power sales or carbon offset price, the optimum mix of equity and capital to attract investors, or sensitivity to incentives.  Three methods of evaluating financial performance are provided by RELCOST: life cycle cost analysis, proforma statements, and financial ratios.

Proforma financial statements provided are the Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Balance Sheet, and Sources/Uses of Funds Statement for each project year in the 20-year analysis period.  Flexible user inputs include capital costs for construction, funding (equity, grants, and loans), operating costs (purchased fuels, labor, materials/expendables, etc.), taxes and fees (depreciation, tax credits, franchise costs, tax rates, etc.), cost escalation factors, income from energy, power and co-product sales, and income from sales of carbon offsets, renewable energy credits and renewable energy production incentives.  Use of financial ratios and other financial performance indicators enable the RELCOST user to evaluate project financial outcomes under various model scenarios.  These model scenarios are displayed on a Financial Scorecard in a stop-light chart (Red-Yellow-Green) for quick assessment.  The ability to rapidly conduct "What If" evaluations using sensitivity factors on key project inputs enables the user to determine those factors that represent the greatest amount of risk to the project, obtain guidance on key points of negotiation, identify break-even values, and examine alternative scenarios.

RELCOST Downloads

RELCOST Financial Blank Template and User's Manual

RELCOST Examples

Presentations

Farm Energy Assessment Meeting Portland, OR September 18, 2009

HEATMAP and RELCOST Workshop Accra, Ghana, May 13 to 15, 2009

GeoFund IGA-Geothermal Workshop Istanbul, Turkey 15-20 February 2009

*These are not the current version of the spreadsheet and should be used only as example applications.  Download the blank template above for the current version.

 HeatMap
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HeatMap CHP HeatMap CHP V6.x is a CHP district energy design/re-design tool with economic and environmental analysis developed by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. See the brochure.

The paper entitled HeatMap CHP - The International Standard for Modeling District Energy, Clean Heat and Power and Thermal Storage Systems provides a full description of the software and examples of its use.

The WSU Extension Energy Program has completed a major upgrade of the software. The following upgrade features are complete:

  • New DOE2 engine installed
  • New hydraulic engine installed
  • Metric option added
  • Generic graphical user interface engine installed (Auto-CAD is no longer required)

HeatMap CHP HeatMap CHP V6.x is a CHP district energy design/re-design tool with economic and environmental analysis developed by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. See the brochure.

The paper entitled HeatMap CHP - The International Standard for Modeling District Energy, Clean Heat and Power and Thermal Storage Systems provides a full description of the software and examples of its use.

The WSU Extension Energy Program has completed a major upgrade of the software. The following upgrade features are complete:

  • New DOE2 engine installed
  • New hydraulic engine installed
  • Metric option added
  • Generic graphical user interface engine installed (Auto-CAD is no longer required)

*    Reduce energy cost  *  Improve power reliability  *  Increase energy efficiency  *  Improve environmental quality  *