Endogenous Capacity Expansion Calculations

See also: Transformation Calculations

If you have specified a set of processes that will have their capacity added endogenously, LEAP calculates how much capacity is added as follows:

  • Existing capacity before the addition of endogenously calculated additions is calculated as follows for each process in each year:

Capacity Before Additions = (Exogenous Capacity + Endogenous Capacity Added Previously) * Capacity Value

Where Endogenous Capacity Added Previously, is summed over the previous Lifetime years, so as not to include endogenously added capacity that is now retired. Note that exogenously specified capacity is not automatically retired: any retirements of this type of capacity need to be entered explicitly as lower values. The Capacity Value term is used to adjust the actual capacity value of intermittent renewable energy processes, which are assumed to have less capacity value than thermal power plants. (thermal power plants typically have a capacity value of 100%).

  • Peak system power requirements on the module are calculated as a function of the total energy requirements and the system load factor:

Peak Requirement [MW] = Energy Requirement [MW-hr] / (Module Load Factor * 8760 [ hrs/year])

Where the load factor is either entered as data, or calculated as the average height of a load curve.

  • The reserve margin before the addition of endogenously calculated additions is calculated as follows:

Reserve Margin Before Additions = (Capacity Before Additions - Peak Requirement) / Peak Requirement

  • The amount of endogenous capacity additions required is calculated as follows:

Endogenous Capacity Additions Required = (Planning Reserve Margin - Reserve Margin Before Additions) * Peak Requirement

  • Finally, endogenous capacity additions are calculated for each process by cycling through the processes listed on the Endogenous Capacity screen in the order listed on the screen. In each year, capacity continues to be added in the amounts specified on the screen in the Addition Size column, until the amount added is greater than or equal to the Endogenous Capacity Additions Required.