Intensive research efforts in the field of clean energy technologies such as fuel cells are primarily focused on solving technical issues to commercialization. As these technology challenges are resolved analytical tools will be needed to understand the economic viability and environmental impact of using these emerging energy technologies in different applications. To address the need for these analytical tools researchers at the University of California Berkeley have developed a software model for assessing the economics and emissions from different fuel and end-use energy solutions. This clean energy technology economics and emission model (CETEEM) integrates MATLAB Simulink and Excel tools into an easy-to-use powerful analysis solution.
1) Simulates the variable-load efficiency of distributed electricity generating systems; 2) Estimates the economic implications of combined heat and power generation; 3) Characterizes up to 10 individual energy systems at a given location or 10 \"proxy groups\"" of any number of similar energy systems; 4) Calculates the costs of electricity fuel costs and operating efficiencies for individual energy subsystems and for the overall electricity generating system; 5) Models varying operational strategies including load-following and partial load-following operation as well as excess \""grid supply\"" operation; 6) Analyzes system economics in response to hour-by-hour variations in electricity purchase prices and sales prices (or net-metering \""credit\"" rates); 7) Characterizes energy system operating efficiencies under varying system operating conditions; 8) Calculates fuel upstream and system operating emissions (including criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases) divided into approximate \""in-basin\""...