Quick-and-Dirty Power Storage Modeling with Molecule
We're tech geeks here at Molecule, and so we were particularly excited to learn about Tesla's new PowerWall battery. Tesla has come out swinging, partnering with utilities like Oncor and SoCal Edison to enable peak shaving using big installations of daisy-chained batteries.
Well, as a utility, how would you model the value of stored electricity?
You could do it a number of ways--from quick-and-dirty (marking against a public forward mark), to highly sophisticated (using load forecasts and multiple additional inputs to determine when you would unload capacity).
Here's how you could do the quick-and-dirty method in Molecule:
- Enter a purchase of the power.
- Inject the amount of power (in MWh) that you're planning to store.
- You're done. Molecule will mark the power in your batteries, against the closest-available mark (that it downloads automatically) -- so that you can have a quick-and-dirty, end-of-day value for your portfolio. It can also show you your power purchases, plotted against your forecast loads.
- When the power flows, simply mark the inventory as "withdrawn."
We're developing more detailed modeling tools for inventory, such as proprietary models, custom input data, and automated downloads of load forecasts and more. This will allow you to simulate and make decisions on your portfolio in real time. Stay tuned!