1.3 Major Variations of US-REGEN
The US-REGEN electric and end-use modules can be run in various configurations to examine a variety of research questions. The electric sector module has three modes: a dynamic long-run formulation that can be optionally coupled with US-REGEN's end-use module or run standalone, a static hourly formulation that runs for a single year, and a unit commitment formulation that disaggregates the capacity blocks into individual units with ramp rates, start-up/shut-down costs, and other operational details. The latter two models can be "seeded" from dynamic model outputs. Below is a table of the characteristics of each version of US-REGEN, detailing the fundamental differences.
These characteristics are explored in more detail throughout the documentation. Section 2 describes the functionality of the dynamic electric sector model. Sections 2.7 and 2.8 describe how the static and unit commitment models differ from that functionality and outline their use cases in more detail. Section 3 explores the structure and functionality of the end-use model and how it integrates with the electric sector model.
| Dynamic (Electric Only) | Static Equilibrium (Electric Only) | Unit Commitment (Electric Only) | Dynamic (Integrated Electric & End-Use) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optimization Horizon | Multi-decadal (35 years) | Annual | Annual | Multi-decadal (35 years) |
| Temporal Granularity | ~100 segments per year | 8,760 hours | 8,760 hours | ~100 segments per year |
| Capacity Mix | Endogenous | User Preference | Exogenous (from dynamic model run) | Endogenous |
| Existing Unit Aggregation | 100+ capacity blocks per region (dispatched together) | 100+ capacity blocks per region (dispatched together) | Individual units | 100+ capacity blocks per region (dispatched together) |
| Storage | N/A | Endogenous | Exogenous | N/A |
| Geographical Detail | User-specified regions, up to state based | All user-specified regions | All user-specified regions | User-specified regions, less than 20 |
| Dispatch Constraints | Load balancing | Load balancing | Balancing, min. load limits, ramp rates, start costs, etc. | Load balancing |
| Optimization Type | Linear program | Linear program | Mixed-integer program | Linear program |
| Sectors | Electric Sector | Electric sector | Electric sector | Entire economy |
| Energy Demand | Exogenous, may use supply curves for some inputs | Exogenous | Exogenous | Endogenous; detailed end-use model |
| Fuel Prices | Exogenous, may use supply curves for some inputs | Exogenous | Exogenous | Exogenous |