What is SAM?

The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a free

computer program that calculates a renewable
energy systems hourly energy output over a
single year, and calculates the cost of energy
for a renewable energy project over the life of
the project.
Weather Data
Costs ($, $/yr, $/kWh)
(W/m2, C, m/s, ...)
Financial Assumptions
hour 1
(years, inflation,
hour 2
constraints)
...
Incentives ($, $/W, $/kWh)

System
Output Total
Cash
(kWh) Annual
Simulation
Hour 1 Output
Flow
Model
Hour 2 (kWh)
...

Economic Metrics
($, $/kWh, kWh/W,
...)
System Description
LCOE
(W, m2, , ...)
IRR
Payback

Performance Model Financial Model

 SAM
What is it?
System Advisor Model
Calculates a power systems hourly output over the period of one year
Calculates a power projects annual costs over a specified analysis period
Inputs
Weather data
Characteristics of system
Installation and operating costs
Financial structure
Incentives
Outputs
Hourly power output with monthly and annual averages
Net annual cash flow
Summary metrics: LCOE, payback period, total annual output, capacity factor
Intermediate values available for more detailed analysis
 Files and Cases
A file contains one or more cases
Use tabs to display cases
Cases are like worksheets in an Excel workbook
Each case contains a complete set of inputs and
results
Use cases to compare different analysis scenarios
Technologies
Financing structures
 Commercial Financing Options
Apply to all financing options:
General
Taxes and Insurance
Salvage Value
Loan parameters
Standard, mortgage-style debt
Debt fraction specifies percentage of total installed
costs that project borrows
Depreciation
Treated as positive cash flow
 System Costs
Categories are similar for all technologies
Capital costs
SAM uses total installed costs
Categories are for your bookkeeping
Operating Costs
Specify in $/yr, $/kW-yr, or $/kWh-yr
Annual schedules
Default values are estimates: Take ownership of
your assumptions
See Help, SolarBuzz, SAM website
 Photovoltaic Systems
Component-based models
Module and inverter modeled separately
Build system on Array page
Array shading and self-shading
PVWatts System Model
Entire system modeled as a single DC-to-AC derate
factor with temperature correction
Array shading
 CSP Systems
Parabolic trough
Power tower
Dish-Stirling
Generic when you have a table optical
efficiencies for a range of sun positions
 Overview of Trough Sample File
Physical or empirical?
Use physical for more accurate modeling: Equations
based on physical properties of system components
Use empirical for faster modeling: Equations based on
empirical measurements of SEGS plants
Climate and Financing input pages are the same
as PV
Default costs based on NREL-sponsored study
See Excel Exchange
 Solar Multiple
A way to specify the solar field size as a
function of the power block capacity
SM = 1: At reference radiation, solar field
output equals power block design input
Optimal value depends on location (resource)
and cost of solar field components
 Other technologies
Solar
Power tower
Dish-Stirling
Generic solar: When you have a table of optical
conversion efficiencies for different sun angles
Solar water heating
Non-solar
Small-scale wind
Wind Turbine Design
Geothermal
 Project Costs and Financial
Assumptions
System costs
Installation costs
Operating costs
Financial assumptions
Debt parameters
Returns requirements for utility-scale projects
Taxes
Incentives
Tax credits
Very project- and location-specific
Default values provide rough estimates