Cool Tools for Public Use

I did some internal work to catalogue tools funded by the Department of Energy (mostly ones that live at the National Labs), so I'll contribute a few others. Not all of these are actively maintained so they are provided without guarantee!
  • BEopt - The BEopt (Building Energy Optimization) software provides capabilities to evaluate residential building designs and identify cost-optimal efficiency packages at various levels of whole-house energy savings along the path to zero net energy. Part of the Building American program funded by BTO.
  • CREST - Contains economic, cash-flow models designed to assess project economics, design cost-based incentives, and evaluate the impact of state and federal support structures on renewable energy.
  • MADRA - MADRA is an integration of modeling systems to provide open source microgrid analysis platform for remote off- grid applications. This comprehensive design support tool for remote off-grid microgrids is capable of providing technical analysis for designers to make appropriate design decisions satisfying user-defined objectives and constraints for cost and reliability.
  • NSRDB - The NSRDB is a serially complete collection of hourly and half-hourly values of meteorological data and solar radiation measurements in the US and a growing number of international locations. The data can be used to to accurately represent regional solar radiation climates, and for a given location, to predict the potential future availability of solar energy based on past conditions.
  • PVWatts - Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations.
  • REopt - The REopt™ Lite web tool helps commercial building managers evaluate the economic viability of grid-connected PV, wind, and battery storage at a site; identify system sizes and battery dispatch strategies to minimize energy costs; and estimate how long a system can sustain critical load during a grid outage. REopt Lite offers a no-cost subset of features from NREL's more comprehensive REopt model. REopt Lite also offers an application programming interface (API).
  • System Advisor Model (SAM) - SAM is a techno-economic computer model that calculates performance and financial metrics of renewable energy projects. Project developers, policy makers, equipment manufacturers, and researchers use graphs and tables of SAM results in the process of evaluating financial, technology, and incentive options for renewable energy projects. SAM simulates the performance of photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, solar water heating, wind, geothermal, and biomass power systems, and includes a basic generic model for comparisons with conventional or other types of systems.
  • SLOPE - The State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform, a collaboration between eight U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) technology offices and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is a tool to enable more data-driven state and local energy planning by integrating dozens of distinct sources of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation data and analyses into an easy-to-access online platform that more effectively supports state and local energy planning and decision making.
  • URDB - The Utility Rate Database is an online platform for storing and retrieving a wide array of electric utility rate structures. The database is the nation’s first publicly available utility rate database.
 
ZEldredge said:
I did some internal work to catalogue tools funded by the Department of Energy (mostly ones that live at the National Labs), so I'll contribute a few others. Not all of these are actively maintained so they are provided without guarantee!
  • BEopt - The BEopt (Building Energy Optimization) software provides capabilities to evaluate residential building designs and identify cost-optimal efficiency packages at various levels of whole-house energy savings along the path to zero net energy. Part of the Building American program funded by BTO.
  • CREST - Contains economic, cash-flow models designed to assess project economics, design cost-based incentives, and evaluate the impact of state and federal support structures on renewable energy.
  • MADRA - MADRA is an integration of modeling systems to provide open source microgrid analysis platform for remote off- grid applications. This comprehensive design support tool for remote off-grid microgrids is capable of providing technical analysis for designers to make appropriate design decisions satisfying user-defined objectives and constraints for cost and reliability.
  • NSRDB - The NSRDB is a serially complete collection of hourly and half-hourly values of meteorological data and solar radiation measurements in the US and a growing number of international locations. The data can be used to to accurately represent regional solar radiation climates, and for a given location, to predict the potential future availability of solar energy based on past conditions.
  • PVWatts - Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations.
  • REopt - The REopt™ Lite web tool helps commercial building managers evaluate the economic viability of grid-connected PV, wind, and battery storage at a site; identify system sizes and battery dispatch strategies to minimize energy costs; and estimate how long a system can sustain critical load during a grid outage. REopt Lite offers a no-cost subset of features from NREL's more comprehensive REopt model. REopt Lite also offers an application programming interface (API).
  • System Advisor Model (SAM) - SAM is a techno-economic computer model that calculates performance and financial metrics of renewable energy projects. Project developers, policy makers, equipment manufacturers, and researchers use graphs and tables of SAM results in the process of evaluating financial, technology, and incentive options for renewable energy projects. SAM simulates the performance of photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, solar water heating, wind, geothermal, and biomass power systems, and includes a basic generic model for comparisons with conventional or other types of systems.
  • SLOPE - The State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform, a collaboration between eight U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) technology offices and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is a tool to enable more data-driven state and local energy planning by integrating dozens of distinct sources of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation data and analyses into an easy-to-access online platform that more effectively supports state and local energy planning and decision making.
  • URDB - The Utility Rate Database is an online platform for storing and retrieving a wide array of electric utility rate structures. The database is the nation’s first publicly available utility rate database.
Click to expand...
Wow! These are great. I have personally used the PVWatts several times in my designs. Thank you for sharing, Zach!!
 
Here is another great tool - the Farm Link program connects farm seekers with transitioning farms and non-farming landowners: https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Land-Link-Directory-2019.pdf

landforgood.org

Farm Link Programs - Land For Good

The need to connect farm seekers with transitioning farmers and non-farming landowners is greater than ever. All farm link programs work to help beginning farmers, other farm seekers, and farmland owners connect with each other and related resources. They serve … Continue reading →
landforgood.org landforgood.org
 
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