Web app quick start¶

In this example, you simulate a data center. The goal is to walk you through your first steps in the Sympheny web app, covering the mandatory features and some optional ones along the way. In the following steps you:

• Create a scenario to size a solar PV installation.
• Evaluate the cost and performance of a 100 kWh battery.

Create a project¶

Specify the location by searching for an address.

Create a scenario¶

Analyses can be used as an archive: create different scenarios to compare against each other. Click a scenario to work with it.

Optional, while creating the project:

• Send a copy of, or share, the project with other Sympheny users.
• Upload an image to illustrate your project, using a small resolution.

General¶

You can change the currency; press Save after changing it. Add a stage — multiple stages can be used to plan an optimal energy system over decades, although this adds complexity to the modeling process. To get started on a project, simulate a single stage. An interest rate of 0% will help you interpret the results as a new user.

Hubs¶

Click Add new to add a hub. Multiple hubs are used to simulate energy networks, such as district heating. More hubs add complexity, so to get started, simulate a single hub.

Optional, while adding a hub:

• Research the hub's location by address.
• Change the map overlay.
• Draw an outline of the building or group of buildings to illustrate and locate them. You can activate add-ons for extracting geodata from the map.

You can skip ahead to Supply Technologies, where energy carriers will be defined automatically.

Supply technologies¶

Add a technology from the database.

Select a large solar field, since the price per kW will be lower. Once selected, information on the source is available.

Click Yes to add the energy carriers.

You can edit all of the parameters of a technology from the database. Check Primary Mode — every technology needs at least one primary mode. Multi-mode technologies can, for example, represent a reversible heat pump.

The efficiency of this default solar PV is 18%, relative to the solar irradiance caught by the panels. Leave the sizing as Optimize, so Sympheny fixes the optimal size to reach the objective, usually minimum ROI.

Unit commitment parameters are advanced parameters used for specific industrial equipment. You can edit parameters related to investment cost, maintenance, and embedded emissions.

Now that the technologies and associated energy carriers are created, head back to the Energy Carriers step.

Energy carriers¶

You can edit or create more energy carriers to distinguish all of the different energy flows. This example uses the defaults.

Energy demands¶

In all sections, a map view represents hubs and networks. Close it to view the technology diagram below. This diagram is dynamic — for now, only the solar panels appear.

Create a new Energy Demand. Select the energy carrier; you can edit the name. Try generating a profile for a data center using the available profiles.

Even if there is no profile called "datacenter," you can explore the available building profiles and see if Industry Warehouse fits the project's needs.

In this case, you have the annual electricity consumption, and can specify 1.2 GWh/year.

Information on the source of the profile is displayed.

Save and close to add the profile.

This button lets you view the profile you generated.

This is the resulting hourly profile. You can see large drops in consumption over weekends. You can download and edit the profile and re-upload it. You can also use the Sympheny peak shaving function.

To upload a custom profile, edit the energy demand.

Select upload profile. The info button describes the format, and downloading the profile also reveals the format template.

An hourly profile is an XLSX file with 8760 values in kW.

The uploaded profile better represents the electricity demand of a data center.

On-site resources¶

In this section you generate the hourly profile of the irradiance hitting the solar panels.

Select the energy carrier; you can edit the name. Set 10,000 m² of available solar-panel surface and generate the profile from a location–inclination–orientation combination in the database. This is the maximum available surface — Sympheny chooses the optimal size relative to the electricity consumption, price, and resale value. You can also generate the hourly solar profile for any location–orientation–inclination combination using the Add from map workflow.

This example uses Geneva, roof-mounted, at 15° facing east.

This is the resulting hourly solar-irradiance profile, per m².

The energy diagram updates to include the on-site resource.

Imports and exports¶

You still need to add the electric grid. Otherwise there is a deficit of electricity at night, and a daytime surplus may limit the size of the solar field.

Add the option to purchase electricity from the grid and set the electricity price.

Adding a capacity price and a CO₂-emissions value per kWh is optional but recommended.

Also add an export, with a revenue of 0.08 EUR/kWh.

Review the energy diagram¶

Before executing the model, review the energy diagram. Confirm that every technology and link is fully connected, with no dead ends.

Execute the scenario¶

Give the execution a name. The Updated indicator means the scenario has changed since it was last executed. By default Sympheny generates two solutions: Solution 1 minimizes total cost (operating + maintenance + annualized investment costs); Solution 2 minimizes CO₂ emissions.

Execution takes a few seconds. Open the interactive dashboard to review the results. You can also explore the input file (all parameters) and the output files (all results) — both are Excel files.

Review the results¶

First, select All stages to view the Pareto front.

The Pareto front shows Solutions 1 and 2, with the total cost and emissions of each.

Select Solution 1, the stage, and the hub to view the detailed solution.

The Sankey diagram shows every energy flow in kWh. As with all diagrams, you can filter its content and download the data and images. A Sankey is also available for each month.

The energy diagram shows the capacity of each technology — here the optimal PV field is 1,760 kW of electric output — along with each technology's investment. Use the navigation bar at the top to return to the scenarios.

Evaluate a 100 kWh battery¶

Copy the scenario you just created to add one with a battery.

In the new scenario every parameter is preserved, so you only need to add a battery.

Set the battery to Must install and specify a capacity of 100 kWh. Sympheny respects this constraint while optimizing the battery's operation and the size of the solar field.

Storage technologies expose a different set of parameters.

Once the battery is added, execute the scenario with the same objectives and view the results.

Under All stages, the cost and emissions are slightly better with the battery.

In the detailed results you can see the battery's hourly state of charge — this view is zoomed in on a single month.