skip to main content
Objects and Methods : Thermal : User Methods : Block Economic Value
Block Economic Value
* None
No evaluation is made.
* Calculate Block Economic Value
This method applies a time dependent piecewise linear, or block, value to power generated. The order of power source evaluation matters for simulation because it is nonlinear; the order affects the credit given to each power source. Evaluation before other power sources will result in higher credit. The optimization doesn’t allocate credit to individual power sources, and the order has no effect on it.
At the end of the run, the economic value of hydropower is calculated based on a piecewise linear function of power. The piecewise function can vary by time period. While there is no direct linkage to thermal sources of power, one interpretation of the piecewise linear function is that it represents the coordinated reduction in other power sources as a result of hydropower generation. This method does not attempt to meet an explicit load, rather the load is assumed to be included in the process that generates the piecewise linear functions.
The piecewise linear functions are represented by the Hydro Block Costs. The Hydro Block Costs are the slope of the piecewise linear segments, or alternatively the value of a unit of power. The piecewise linear function is assumed to be concave: the costs are assumed to decrease as the block number increases.
Slots Specific to This Method
 Hydro Block Costs
Type: Agg Series Slot
Units: PowerCost
Description: Value of each unit of hydropower generated.
Information: The columns represent the power blocks which are assumed to have a non increasing value for power. The number of columns with valid values should equal the Number of Hydro Blocks scalar slot value.
I/O: Input
 Hydro Block Use
Type: Agg Series Slot
Units: Energy
Description: Blocks used to value hydropower.
Information: Sum of the blocks should equal the hydropower generated unless too few blocks are specified. The user must input the size of the blocks. The slot configuration dialog should be used to set the Minimum to zero and the Maximum to the desired block size. The Maximum values replace the previous Hydro Block Capacity slot. Maximum values must be entered for at least the same number of columns specified in the Number of Hydro Blocks scalar slot.
I/O: Input
 Number of Hydro Blocks
Type: Scalar Slot
Units: None
Description: Maximum number of hydro blocks that could potentially be used.
Information: This value should equal the number of columns in Hydro Block Costs with valid values. If the number in this slot is greater than the number of columns in Hydro Block Costs with valid values, the run terminates with an error message.
I/O: If not input it will default to the total number of columns in Hydro Block Costs.
 Block Power Source Evaluation Order
Type: Table Slot
Units: None
Description: One row for each power source and one column with a unique positive value for power sources to be used.
Information: NaN indicates the power source doesn’t apply or has already been included in economic calculations.
I/O: Input
 Block Marginal Operating Cost
Type: Series Slot
Units: PowerCost
Description: Additional marginal value of an extra unit of hydropower.
Information:  
I/O: Output
 Block Previous Marginal Operating Cost
Type: Series Slot
Units: PowerCost
Description: Additional marginal value of the previous unit of unit of hydropower generated.
Information: This value will be the same as the Block Marginal Operating Cost if hydrogeneration is in the middle of a block.However, the hydro generation for some time periods may exactly match the full use of some number of blocks. This is particularly likely for optimization models. In these cases the marginal operating cost and the previous marginal operating cost will differ because they represent different blocks.
I/O: Output
 Block Tolerance
Type: Scalar Slot
Units: Power
Description: Tolerance for considering a solution to have hydrogeneration exactly equal to some number of blocks.
Information: Floating point arithmetic usually requires a tolerance for comparing numbers. In this case, if the values are equal within the tolerance, then the Block Previous Marginal Operating Cost will have a different value than the Block Marginal Operating Cost. This slot used to be a Table Slot.
I/O: Input
 Block Conventional Replacement Value
Type: Series Slot
Units: None
Description: Calculated value of conventional hydropower using block evaluation.
Information:  
I/O: Output
 Block Pump Replacement Value
Type: Series Slot
Units: Value
Description: Calculated value of net hydropower generated by pumps using block evaluation.
Information:  
I/O: Output
 Block Allocated Replacement Value
Type: Series Slot
Units: Value
Description: Calculated value of allocated hydropower using block evaluation.
Information:  
I/O: Output
 Block Avoided Operating Cost
Type: Series Slot
Units: Value
Description: Combined value of conventional, pump, and allocated hydropower using block evaluation.
Information:  
I/O: Output
 Block Net Avoided Cost
Type: Series Slot
Units: Value
Description: Block Avoided Operating Cost minus the value of water used for spill or generation.
Information:  
I/O: Output
 Block Total Values
Type: Table Slot
Units: None
Description: Sum over time for several slots used in the block economic evaluation.
Information: One column. One row for each slot, as follows:
Conventional Hydro Power
Pump Power Evaluated
Allocated Energy Evaluated
Conventional Total Avoided Cost
Pump Total Avoided Cost
Allocated Total Avoided Cost
Total Avoided Operating Cost All
Regulation Value
Reg. Operating Cost
Total Future Value of Used Energy
Total Spill Cost
Cumul Stor Value
Net Total Avoided Cost
Objective
I/O: Output
 Allocated Minimum
Type: Agg Series Slot
Units: Power
Description: Minimum power generation for projects with allocated energy.
Information: One column for each project to be allocated.
I/O: Input
 Allocated Maximum
Type: Agg Series Slot
Units: Power
Description: Maximum power generation for projects with allocated energy.
Information: One column for each project to be allocated.
I/O: Input
 Allocated Total Energy
Type: Agg Series Slot
Units: Energy
Description: Total energy to be allocated from a project over some time period.
Information: One column for each project to be allocated. Totals should be entered with some consistent period. For example, values entered only once a day will be allocated across that day assuming the model has a timestep smaller than one day.
I/O: Input
 Allocated Detail Energy
Type: Agg Series Slot
Units: Energy
Description: Result of allocating the energy to individual time periods.
Information: One column for each project to be allocated.
I/O: Output
 Allocated Energy Sum
Type: Series Slot
Units: Energy
Description: Sum of allocated energy across projects.
Information: Only used in optimization to assist in mathematical representation.
I/O: Output
Revised: 07/03/2024