Simulate plant operation
A plant simulation reconciles supply and demand for each hour of a modeled year. It reports component output, battery operation, fuel use, unmet demand and economic results from that dispatch.
This is a single-bus energy model. Use a separate network study to calculate bus voltage, branch loading and electrical losses from network impedances.
Run a baseline
- Open Design and select the intended design and version.
- Confirm the selected load profile, its reference scale, weather channels, enabled components and dispatch strategy.
- Read the build notes and correct blockers. Review assumed costs even when they do not stop the run.
- Leave Search for a cheaper size off to test this configuration.
- Use the simulation action. Its accessible label is Save a version and simulate it for a changed draft, or Simulate this version for an unchanged saved version.
- Wait for the named run to complete. Open Results and confirm its design, version and run identity.
Live preview is optional. It simulates a year after settled edits but does not create the named run that serves as the saved record. Use a completed named run for comparison and reporting.
Read results in order
| Results tab | What to examine |
|---|---|
| Report | The verdict, annual supply, reliability and cost summary. |
| Time series | The month, week or day where an operating concern occurs. |
| Console | Replay of computed hourly operation and component flows. |
| Dispatch | What each source delivered, how long it ran and what it consumed. |
| Economics | Component cost across the modeled project life. |
| Cash flow | Recorded yearly amounts. |
| Assumptions | Input values, provenance and unresolved source gaps. |
| Solutions | Scored sizing alternatives when the selected result comes from a search. |
Start with unmet demand and feasibility, then examine cost. Identify whether a value is zero, absent because the component is not installed, or unavailable from this result. These states do not mean the same thing.
Inspect a difficult hour
Find an interval with unmet demand, low battery state of charge or heavy generator use. Compare demand with available solar/hydro, generator and grid supply. Check battery discharge power as well as stored energy. A large kWh capacity cannot remove a converter power limit.
For diesel operation, check the selected dispatch strategy, allowed loading and charging thresholds. A cycle-charging strategy needs a battery. Explain the operational reason before switching strategies.
Recover from a misleading view
If results appear inconsistent with the editor, check the run identity first. The editor can show a newer draft or version while the result still belongs to an older run.
If a chart is blank, check that the run completed and inspect its tables. Do not interpret a missing plot as zero output. The September 2026 screenshot review found blank plots in one development capture; those captures are not used as evidence of a complete time-series view.
Keep a reproducible record
Retain the design version, run identifier, demand declaration, weather provenance, dispatch settings and assumptions with any exported report or workbook. A console image shows a modeled hour, not live plant telemetry.
Continue with Sizing and optimization, or Plant to network. This guide describes the inspected development workflow; confirm release compatibility.