Setting up a Simulation

Wind Technology Modeling Within the System Advisor Model 

(SAM)

N. Blair, A. Dobos, T. Ferguson, J. Freeman, P. Gilman, J. Whitmore• National Renewable Energy Laboratory • Golden, Colorado

OFFSHORE WINDPOWER 2014, Las Vegas, May 58, 2014

Model Basics

Outputs and Advanced Analysis

• Free software which is available for online download. 

https://sam.nrel.gov/

• Combination detailed hourly performance and economic 

modeling tool designed to facilitate decision making for 

people involved in the renewable energy industry.

• Includes a multitude of different technology and financial 

options.

• Default values for all inputs provided upon programs 

startup, so a simulation is always just a few clicks away.

• Models both distributed and utility-scale wind projects.

• Clean, easy to navigate interface.

• Can provide simple performance and financial metrics as 

well as perform advanced analysis through the use of GUI 

available tools.

• SAM can download siting 

considerations for a location 

you specify from NREL’s Wind 

Prospector to provide you with 

additional information about 

your site.

• Data from DOE Wind Siting 

Project.

2. Siting Considerations

• Select a turbine from a 

large database of 

available turbines. 

• Define turbine 

characteristics if 

known.

• Use the library editor to 

define a power curve 

based on a pre-existing 

turbine’s data.

3. Turbine Selection

• Can specify one or many 

turbines in multiple 

shapes and configurations 

to accurately portray any 

wind farms structure.

• 3 wake model options:

• Simple Wake Model

• Eddy Viscosity

• Park (WASP)

• Does not do detailed 

topographic/GIS analysis.

4. Wind Farm Specification

5. Performance Adjustments 

• Apply month by hour performance adjustments to account for known system 

curtailment, turbine degradation and availability.

• Define installation costs 

by category in $, $/kW, or 

$/turbine, and annual 

operating costs in $, $/kW, 

or $/kWh.

• Specify offshore or 

onshore installations to 

change available cost 

parameters.

6. Wind System Costs

• 30 standard typical files 

included from AWS 

TruePower.

• Download weather files 

from the NREL wind 

integration studies: Files 

are available for most of 

the Western US and 

about 1300 Eastern US 

locations.

• Input your own weather 

files if measured data is 

available for your site.

• Link to Windographer.

• Future: Link to 3tierdeveloped 7 years of 

gridded data for US.

1. Weather File Specification

• Define complex system financing 

options allowing any financial 

situation to be modeled 

accurately.

• Allow SAM to optimize by debt 

fraction of PPA escalation rate to 

minimize LCOE.

• Solve by specifying PPA or IRR 

(specifying one forces SAM to 

solve for the other).

• List of financing options

• Residential

• Commercial

• Utility IPP

• Single Owner

• All Equity Partnership 

Flip

• Leverage Partnership Flip

• Sale Leaseback

7. Financing

• Accurately model 

incentives.

• Flexible PTC 

analysis.

• Download incentives 

from the DSIRE 

incentives database, 

which auto-populates 

the fields on this 

page.

8. Incentives

Outputs

• Metrics table which allows for quick analysis of 

performance and financial metrics.

• Hourly, monthly, or annual output metrics in 

exportable graphs and tables.

• Cash flow table with optional export to Excel with 

formulas.

• Choose from a series of available-by-default 

graphs, or make your own graph based on any of 

the hundreds of metrics output by SAM.

Advanced Analysis 

Capabilities • Parametric

• Sensitivity 

• Statistical

• P50/P90

SAM in Research

• Wind Technical Manual (Under Review)- NREL 

2013

• New Features in SAM 2013.9.20- Webinar (NREL 

2013)

• Ummel, K. “Planning for Large-Scale Wind and 

Solar Power in South Africa” (Center for Global 

Development, 2013)

• Modeling Wind Systems in SAM- Webinar (NREL 

2013)

• Hermannsson, H. “Assessment of Wind Energy 

Production Software” (University of Washington, 

2013)

The information contained in this poster is subject to a government license.

NREL/PO-6A20-61635