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While confidence in photovoltaic (PV) modeling software has always been essential, the rapid pace of new PV plant developments makes accuracy and credibility more critical than ever. Independent assessments, particularly through blind modeling comparisons, are therefore necessary to ensure unbiased benchmarking across PV modeling software. Previous studies have been limited by a narrow range of models compared, anonymized results, or system size. This study presents results from the first-ever onymous blind modeling comparison, evaluated using both lab- and utility-scale fixed-tilt, monofacial, south-facing systems at sub-hourly time intervals. Seven commercially used PV software tools were compared: 3E SynaptiQ, PlantPredict, PVsyst, RatedPower, SAM, SolarFarmer, and Solargis Evaluate. Predictions were submitted directly by software representatives, providing unique insights into each software’s implementation and resulting prediction behavior. Notable features, including plane-of-array (POA) transposition model, module temperature model, shading model, and performance model were analyzed and compared. Four summary tables compile these features of the software, serving as a resource to help users understand the methodological differences and select the most suitable software for their applications. The software tools show deviations from mean error in annual yield up to 2.5 % in the lab-scale system, increasing to 6.0 % for the utility-scale system. These differences arise from a combination of user decisions and the inherent behavior of the software, indicating the need for continuous and rigorous validation of modeling methods using these software tools against complex, real-world systems.
SAND2025-11738O Wind Turbine Airfoil Design Tools is a software tool that connects existing open-source airfoil analysis tools with optimization software to produce modern airfoil design for wind turbine applications. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy system-analysis software tools have been used for years helping to identify over 170 TBTU/year of energy savings through the Save Energy Now “Energy Savings Assessment” and Better Plants “In-Plant Training” Programs. While most of the fundamental energy savings opportunities do not evolve much with time, computer technology never stops, leaving most of these software tools inoperable on modern computers.This has sparked an initiative to revitalize the DOE energy system analysis tools into a new, open-source, integrated software tool suite - MEASUR. Designed for industrial energy coordinators, engineers, utility-program implementers and individuals who are interested in improving system efficiency, MEASUR can aide users in identifying, assessing, and quantifying energy savings opportunities within pump, fan, process heating, steam, motors, and compressed air systems. In addition, the software contains over 40 equipment and property calculators for simple energy-related calculations and analyses.This paper will present a results comparison for each energy-consuming system using data from past DOE-sponsored energy assessments (to establish the accuracy of the savings algorithms) to validate and verify the accuracy of the energy and cost savings calculated by MEASUR. Additionally, an example highlighting 3rd-party development of the tool’s opensource framework into real-time sensor systems and efficiency-optimization will be presented.
Application Binary Interface (ABI) compatibility is essential for system or software updates to ensure that libraries continue to function. Tools that can assess a binary or library ABI can thus be used to make predictions about compatibility, and predict downstream bugs by informing developers and users about issues. In this work, we are interested in describing a set of well-known tools for assessing ABI, and testing them in a controlled set experiments to assess tool agreement. We run 7660 smaller experiments across tools (N=30,640 total results) to evaluate not only predictions, but also each tool’s ability to provide detail about underlying issues. In this paper, along with highlighting the problem of assessing ABI compatibility and critiquing the pros and cons of currently available tools, we provide guidance to developers interested to test ABI based on our empirical results and suggestions for future work.
Detecting and diagnosing HVAC faults is critical for maintaining building operation performance, reducing energy waste, and ensuring indoor comfort. An increasing deployment of commercial fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) software tools in commercial buildings in the past decade has significantly increased buildings’ operational reliability and reduced energy consumption. A massive amount of data has been generated by the FDD software tools. However, efficiently utilizing FDD data for ‘big data’ analytics, algorithm improvement, and other data-driven applications is challenging because the format and naming conventions of those data are very customized, unstructured, and hard to interpret. This paper presents the development of a unified taxonomy for HVAC faults. A taxonomy is an orderly classification of HVAC faults according to their characteristics and causal relations. The taxonomy includes fault categorization, physical hierarchy, fault library, relation model, and naming/tagging scheme. The taxonomy employs both a physical hierarchy of HVAC equipment and a cause-effect relationship model to reveal the root causes of faults in HVAC systems. A structured and standardized vocabulary library is developed to increase data representability and interpretability. The developed fault taxonomy can be used for HVAC system ‘big data’ analytics such as HVAC system fault prevalence analysis or the development of an HVAC FDD software standard. A common type of HVAC equipment-packaged rooftop unit (RTU) is used as an example to demonstrate the application of the developed fault taxonomy. Two RTU FDD software tools are used to show that after mapping FDD data according to the taxonomy, the meta-analysis of the multiple FDD reports is possible and efficient.
Freshwater eels, such as the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) present numerous challenges related to safe downstream fish passage at hydroelectric facilities. One of those challenges is effective monitoring of their abundance, movements, and behavior to facilitate design and operation of eel protection and passage facilities. A previous EPRI study documented the ability of human analysts to reliably identify American eels in data obtained with a 1100/1800 kHz, multibeam sonar. This report describes a project to develop deep learning (a subset of artificial intelligence) tools to automate the time-consuming, subjective process of eel identification in multibeam sonar data. The project exploited new data collected in the laboratory and the existing data from the prior EPRI field study to develop and test deep learning and other data analytic tools, including wavelet filtering, differencing for static object removal, and convolutional neural network analysis. The analysis of the laboratory data demonstrated feasibility of the approach, revealed object characteristics observed with the sonar that distinguish eels from similarly sized and shaped acoustic targets, and provided additional data for algorithm selection and training. Deep learning algorithms trained and tested on the laboratory data alone achieved accuracy rates of greater than 98% when classifying acoustic images of eels and similar-sized neutrally buoyant sticks. The algorithm trained and tested on the pre-existing field data alone, and yielded classification accuracy of 9.3% false positives and 13.3% false negatives when distinguishing between eels and sticks/PVC pipes based on video clips (i.e., multiple, consecutive images). This performance is comparable to the classification accuracy achieved by human analysts in the prior study. The deep learning algorithm trained on a combination of video clips obtained in the laboratory and the field and tested on video clips from the field, was able to distinguish eels from sticks and PVC pipes (a river debris analog) of similar size with 100% accuracy. Outreach to the hardware, software, and end-user communities early in the project helped to identify needs and specify the application space. Outreach to those communities at the end of the project communicated project results and opportunities for further development. The project achieved proof of concept for automated identification of eel in multibeam sonar data. Future work should focus on acquisition of additional data for more robust algorithm training and testing; modification of the software tools to accommodate multiple acoustic targets in the acoustic field at a given time; identification of additional object classes; incorporation of motion in the object identification and classification algorithms; operationalizing the software tools, including integration with other existing sonar data analysis tools; and partnering with hardware and software providers for distribution of the software tools with their commercial products.
There is a growing interest in including light source spectrum in advanced lighting software tools and simulations. Given that traditional lighting software tools have been used primarily for calculating photometric quantities, their simplifying assumptions may not be suitable for calculating other a-opic quantities. Commonly used simulation tools use three values to represent the three primary colors (red, green, and blue), but others have expanded the number of bands (i.e., the spectral resolution) to 9, 27, or 81 in an attempt to more accurately represent variations in light source spectrum and downstream spectrally-derived quantities. It remains unclear, however, to what extent spectral resolution affects calculated quantities. To address this gap, a numerical analysis was completed using a large spectral power distribution database (n = 1,302 light sources). Calculated illuminance, a-opic irradiance, luminous efficacy of radiation (LER), melanopic efficacy of radiation (MER), and melanopic to photopic (M/P) ratio were compared for spectral resolutions of 3 and 9 bands compared to a baseline of 81 bands. Across all examined lighting quantities, considerable errors—a mean absolute percent error of 18.4%—were found when using 3 band calculations. These were reduced to 4% for 9 band calculations. The errors varied by metric and light source type. The results suggest that the use of 9 bands can more accurately characterize performance of different light source types across a range of metrics compared to using 3 bands.
MEASUR your energy savings with the free DOE MEASUR software The Department of Energy (DOE), with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), released version 1.0 of their energy efficiency software tool MEASUR (Manufacturing Energy Assessment Software for Utility Reduction). MEASUR has been available for several years as a beta version, being tested by industry experts and real users, and will continue to be updated and improved in the coming years. It is an integrated suite of tools to aid manufacturers in improving the efficiency of energy systems and equipment within a plant, including motors, pumps, fans, process heating, steam, and compressed air. Additionally, there are modules for wastewater energy analysis and to help perform energy treasure hunts. Several calculators are also included, allowing users to independently perform smaller calculations and analyses (such as estimating pump head, performing a fan traverse analysis, estimating waste heat recovery potential, and cataloging compressed air leaks). The MEASUR modules are based on previous DOE software tools that have been used by industry since the early 2000s (such as MotorMaster, AirMaster+, PSAT, PHAST, and FSAT). The original tools only ran on Windows operating systems, and by Windows 10, most of them were inoperable. DOE started their energy efficiency software tool revitalization effort in 2016, first with PSAT (for pumps), then began to integrate the other tools and expand their functionality and utility. The new MEASUR suite provides an extensively more user-friendly, modern, and versatile set of tools. All the assessment modules and most of the calculators have several visual components and graphs and detailed help text for every user input. To help reach international users, the tool utilizes Google translate and users can easily change unit systems, even converting existing user inputs if desired. The assessment files can be organized within the internal file system and easily shared to other users, regardless of their operating system. The entire suite is free, open-source, and can be downloaded on Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems.
INL contracted IFE to develop custom software functionality to support INL’s control room simulator data collections. The tool described in this report provides functionality for authoring, managing and executing so-called micro task data collections (Hildebrandt and Eitrheim, 2015), where operators receive a long list of operational tasks, and the speed and accuracy of their response is measured. The tool consists of an editor, player and observer module. This report contains methodological background and a user guide.
We investigate the potential of decay storage of low and intermediate radioactive waste for release procedures. We present the Safetec software tool HL3 and its application to data from the German nuclear power plant at the site in Stade. In general, during the dismantling process of nuclear power plants, waste of slightly contaminated and/or activated systems is produced in large amounts. These are in particular demolition rubble from concrete structures and ingots from the melting process of metals. If, at the time of disposal, the nuclear inventory is near or slightly above federal clearance limits, the material cannot be released as conventional waste. However, due to the decline of the nuclear inventory over time, a significant amount of that waste could qualify for the release procedure in the future. Although this concept of decay storage is well known, specific predictions of the mass flow to be released is non-trivial. The mass flow over time depends on the composition of known and assumed nuclides (nuclide vector), as well as on the underlying threshold values for release. To handle the waste stream as a function of time, the nuclide composition and specific threshold values, Safetec developed a bespoke software tool named HL3. Its primary function is to visualize and to test/analyze various nuclide vectors and its decompositions over time. For the application within German law, threshold values according to the different disposal routes can be considered. Using the batch interface in the software tool HL3, large amounts of data can be automatically analyzed in a traceable and quick way. To test both, the tool and the benefit for the concept of decay storage, we have applied our code HL3 to material from the dismantling of the pressurized-water reactor at the site in Stade, Germany. We set the focus on concrete debris and metal ingots, which in principle are best suited for decay storage over years. The assignment and the packaging of that waste from Stade were based on application documents for decommissioning of the Year 2000 and according to the state of art conditioning technique at that time. Based on the data of that waste and the appropriate disposal routes, we calculate and discuss the amount of waste releasable after decay storage. As for the situation in Germany, we find that only a negligible amount would be releasable, mainly due to other reasons. These are the deterioration of detectability of radionuclides with time, and other regulatory conditions. However, on an international scale, a different assessment can be drawn. Our results thus motivate to reconsider the option of interim decay storage to reduce radioactive waste in large amounts. (authors)
We detail two software tools, now integrated into the fudge code system. The first tool, mcres.py, can be used to generate stochastic ensembles of resonances which are both consistent with the expectations of the Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble of Random Matrix Theory and with the level densities and widths encoded in ENDF formatted files. The second tool, grokres.py, can be used to assess global and local features of sequences of resonances found in ENDF files and make comparisons to known results from Random Matrix Theory. We apply these tools to 54 Fe and other nuclei.
H-Canyon simulates the building and process ventilation to ensure positive contamination control for any modifications as well as evaluating off-normal conditions. Simulations can also be used to identify air quality of personnel occupied areas. The models can be classified into two groups, single and multi-zone models. As the name states, a single zone model assumes that the building can be described by a single, well-mixed zone. Whereas large buildings have structures that must be described as multizone. Multizone airflow models deal with the difficulty of flows in a building by distinguishing the effects of internal flow restrictions. Several models have been developed that take internal partitions into account. CONTAM (currently used) is a multizone airflow program created by NIST to determine airflows including infiltration, exfiltration, wind pressures acting outside the building, buoyancy effects caused by the indoor and outdoor air temperature difference. COMIS is a multizone air infiltration, ventilation, and contaminant transport model that was developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. COMIS deals with applied pressure distribution, airflow components, HVAC systems, schedules, and contaminant transport. EnergyPlus is designed by DOE. It supports flexible component level configuration of HVAC models and simulates sub-hourly time steps to control fast dynamic systems. The program features include providing accurate environmental performance data including energy consumption and carbon emissions, and reporting solar gains on surfaces. Heavent is used to model industrial ventilation systems to control airborne contaminants. It's designed based on the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Ventilation manual. DesignBuilder is the most recognized and advanced user interface to EnergyPlus. It gives access to all of the most frequently required simulation capabilities covering building fabric, thermal mass, glazing, shading renewables, and HVAC analysis. The objective of this study is to identify all relevant software available including commercially licensed, freely licensed, and open source, that can be used to simulate large, complex process facility ventilation systems. All discovered software tools are evaluated for salient features and compared to the software tool currently used to simulate the H-Canyon ventilation system. The design criteria of a ventilation system has two basic requirements: Supplying fresh air for the occupants and changing the air in the room sufficiently; therefore, the smells, fumes, and contaminants will be removed. In this study, first, whether the software simulates airflow (infiltration, natural ventilation, and interzonal) or considers them to be inputs is discussed. Second, if indoor contaminant levels are considered; and finally suggestions on how airflow analysis can be more appropriately accounted for when performing airflow simulation of a building. All of the airflow software reviewed for this study can account for constant infiltration and natural ventilation rates that are not affected by changes in indoor and outdoor conditions. Modelling infiltration in EnergyPlus or DesignBuilder are applicable for small buildings and not appropriate for larger buildings like the H-Canyon. The effect of wind on external pressures, infiltration, and natural and mechanical ventilation, can also be calculated using all of these software. These programs have control options to switch between natural to mechanical ventilation modes or both (hybrid). Interzonal airflow can be applied which means one zone can be specified to receive a fixed amount of air from another zone. The following ventilation modeling software is recommended for further testing: CONTAM, COMIS, Heavent. The next step in evaluating the software will consist of creating test facility simulations using evaluation copies of the software.
A collection of physics tools used by the ANDES. The Argonne Nuclear Data Exploration Software (ANDES) is a collection of open-source C++ codes and ROOT scripts that enable the visualization of patterns emerging from nuclear data. From this global view, well-known phenomena such as major nuclear shell closures and pairing effects near N=Z nuclei, as well as more subtle features, such as quantum phase transition around the Zr isotopes or the charge radius staggering in the Hg isotopes, can be observed. This visualization tool apart from having pedagogic application can serve as a tool for discovering previously unknown phenomena in the nuclear chart.
Software interface for controlling and collecting data from the Open PV Electrical Tool (OPET) device. This repository contains everything relating to the control of the OPET device including source code. If you are looking for the hardware or firmware software repositories, links are below: https://github.com/NREL/opet-hardware https://github.com/NREL/opet-firmware
The Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP), led by the Savannah River National Laboratory, has achieved its ultimate purpose to support progress in final treatment and disposal of legacy waste and closure of High-Level Waste (HLW) tanks in the DOE complex. The CBP achieved its goal by developing experimental programs with results that supported the development of a reasonable and credible set of software tools to improve understanding and prediction of the structural, hydraulic and chemical performance of cementitious barriers and waste forms used in nuclear applications. These experimental data and software tools are and will continue to reduce the uncertainties in the current methodologies for assessing cementitious barrier performance and increase the consistency and transparency of the assessment process. The CBP has made a significant impact in reducing risk and uncertainties in the performance assessments that directly impact U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) environmental cleanup and closure programs. The CBP has developed an experimentally-based, integrated modeling tool that serves as a screening tool known as the CBP Software Toolbox, Version 3.0. The CBP products reduce the uncertainties of current methodologies for assessing cementitious barrier performance and increasing the consistency and transparency of the DOE assessment process. This CBP Software Toolbox predicts the hydraulic properties and chemical stability of cement matrix phases and release fluxes of constituents, in response to variable boundary conditions. Therefore, the CBP tools are reducing the uncertainty by coupling multiscale and multi-physics processes, including physical-chemical evolution and transport phenomena applied to heterogeneous materials with changing boundary conditions. In addition, the CBP Experimental and Characterization Program has provided test data to support chemical and physical degradation mechanisms for cementitious barriers. These tools have application to low activity waste forms, high level waste tank closure, D&D and entombment of major nuclear facilities, landfill waste acceptance criteria, and in-situ grouting and immobilization of vadose zone contamination. The CBP also provided: 1) a forum for DOE-NRC technical exchange, 2) material characterization to support performance assessment (PA) predictions, 3) uncertainty reduction in PA predictions, 4) base case performance to improve PA predictions, and 5) improvement in understanding and quantification of moisture and contaminant transport used in PAs. Additional CBP accomplishments include: sponsorship of a national test bed workshop to obtain collaboration in establishing the path forward to obtain actual data supporting future predictions of cementitious barrier performance, and participation in an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Cooperative Research Project on the use of cementitious barriers for low-level radioactive waste treatment and disposal.
Neuromorphic computing is a promising paradigm for future energy-efficient computing. At present, however, it is in its nascent stages—most hardware implementations are research-grade, commercial products are not available, and the software tools are not production-ready. The lack of hardware and software tools makes neuromorphic computing inaccessible to researchers around the globe. To this extent, we intend to build a low-cost, open-source, FPGA-based digital neuromorphic processor that can be used by researchers worldwide. In this paper, we present a preliminary implementation of the processor on a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA using SystemVerilog. Our implementation supports the integrate-and-fire neuron with two parameters each for neurons and synapses. It also features all-to-all connectivity among neurons on the hardware. We test our implementation on four cases: bars and stripes datasets, shortest path algorithm, logic gates, and 8-3 encoder. We also perform a scalability study to understand the resource utilization of the FPGA as the number of all-to-all connected neurons increases. With our implementation, the Artix- 7 supports 65 neurons with all-to-all connectivity. Moreover, all the test cases mentioned above achieve 100% accuracy.
This study performed comparative evaluation of EnergyPlus version 8.6 and Tendril TrueHome, two physics-based home energy simulation models, to identify differences in energy consumption predictions between the two programs and resolve discrepancies between them. EnergyPlus is considered a benchmark, best-in-class software tool for building energy simulation. This exercise sought to improve both software tools through additional evaluation/scrutiny.