Re-specification of PIES electric utility model. Final report

The PIES Program was reviewed with FEA personnel to determine the interfaces it has with the electric utility model. The current electric utility model was then reviewed in depth. Particular attention was placed on defining modeling areas requiring more simulation refinement. The principal areas of improvement in the proposed model are: increasing the modeling detail in the utility production simulation; explicitly differentiating the capacity of a unit from the energy generation of a unit; having the production simulation model predict unit capacity factors; providing provision for generation reserve criteria; and accounting for the effects of inflation on electricity price. A methodology for developing the required input parameter data is presented. A methodology is presented for validating the model to historical years. For the historical year of 1974, data has been collected for use as a benchmark for this validation. A methodology is also summarized for validating the model in future test years by comparing the PIES electric utility model to other accurate power system planning models. A methodology for integrating the PIES results into subregional analysis is presented. The subregional analysis would utilize PIES results in coordination with other utility system planning models.