Ahmed Ibraheem 4/22/2014

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Hi there,

I am trying to put a constraint on CO2 emissions with optimization. However, the model deploys low capacity generation through nuclear energy that increases gradually till end year, even though all costs (capital and fuel) are considerably higher than other alternatives such as NGCC. I tried to remove the nuclear out of the mix by putting a 0 in the maximum capacity for nuclear, which led to the deployment of NGCC while still meeting the CO2 cap constraint.

Any ideas or explanations on why this is happening?

Taylor Binnington 4/24/2014
 

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Hi Ahmed,

Assuming that both of your processes are able to meet demand without exceeding the emissions limit you've set, I'm led to believe that your optimization is simply one of choosing the lowest-priced power.

Make sure in your model that NGCC is indeed cheaper than nuclear - this includes the cost of indigenous resources (in the Resources branch), the cost of externalities (if you've set any under the emissions branch), as well as the annualized capital and fixed cost for each plant, and its variable OM. There are many places to check - even the lifetime variable plays a role in the cost of each option.

If you are certain that NGCC is the cheaper option, please send me your LEAP file by selecting 'Email' from the main menu, and including a descriptive message.

Good luck,

Taylor