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At least 19 records

Modeling Cost of Offshore Carbon Storage in Saline Reservoirs

Poster presentation to the AAPG-SEG-SPE CCUS 2024 Conference. Offshore saline reservoirs provide a significant and accessible resource for geologic carbon storage (CS). The offshore environment requires distinct approaches to site selection, operations, monitoring, and risk that affect the technoeconomic assessment of offshore CS projects. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has developed a CS cost model for offshore saline reservoirs known as CO2_S_COM_Offshore. Based on NETL’s widely used CO2_S_COM cost model for onshore saline CS, CO2_S_COM_Offshore enables technoeconomic analysis of CS in offshore areas. This model comprehensively incorporates multiple facets of offshore CS projects, from regional evaluation and site selection to permitting, transport, operations, monitoring, site closure, and decommissioning. Developed to model cost for offshore United States (US) Exclusive Economic Zones, aspects of this model can be adapted to international projects. Presented at the SPE/AAPG/SEG Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Conference in Houston, TX, March 11-13, 2024.

Mark-Moser, Mackenzie K.↗

A Model for Hybrid Systems for Production Cost Modeling Studies Considering Ancillary Services: Preprint

This paper introduces a model for simulating hybrid plants participating in energy and ancillary services for bulk power system studies. The model considers a hybrid plant comprised of a renewable energy source, a thermal power unit, a storage unit, fixed power loads, or any combination of these technologies. The model focuses on Production Cost Modeling (PCM) studies under the assumption of centralized dispatch. We present an example case study to illustrate the use of the model in a single-stage production cost model similar to those conducted by planning agencies. We explore the allocation of behind-themeter ancillary services products and total energy participation to hybrid plant sub-assets and the resulting impacts on the system's ancillary service allocation. The model is implemented and simulated in a unit commitment problem in the RTS test system, which was modified to include a hybrid plant asset.

ancillary services↗

A Model for Hybrid Systems for Production Cost Modeling Studies Considering Ancillary Services

This paper introduces a model for simulating hybrid plants participating in energy and ancillary services for bulk power system studies. The model considers a hybrid plant comprised of a renewable energy source, a thermal power unit, a storage unit, fixed power loads, or any combination of these technologies. The model focuses on Production Cost Modeling (PCM) studies under the assumption of centralized dispatch. We present an example case study to illustrate the use of the model in a single-stage production cost model similar to those conducted by planning agencies. We explore the allocation of behind-the-meter ancillary services products and total energy participation to hybrid plant sub-assets and the resulting impacts on the system's ancillary service allocation. The model is implemented and simulated in a unit commitment problem in the RTS test system, which was modified to include a hybrid plant asset.

ancillary services↗

Cost Impacts of Risk-Based Methods for Defining AoR and PISC Duration of a CO 2 Storage Project Using NRAP Tools and FE/NETL CO 2 Saline Storage Cost Model

The purpose of this analysis is to assess the fiscal impact of using risk-based methods to define the area of review (AoR) and post-injection site care (PISC) duration for a geologic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage project. The Office of Fossil Energy (FE)/National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) CO 2 Saline Storage Cost Model (“cost model”) was utilized to evaluate CO 2 storage economics in this study. The cost model is a widely used tool for evaluating CO 2 storage costs in geologic settings. It estimates costs for storage operations conducted under compliance to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI regulations. This analysis evaluates and compares the costs of storage (on a first-year break-even dollar per tonne [2018$] basis) at the proposed FutureGen 2.0 site as a case study storage location by implementing different approaches to determine AoR and PISC given the prevailing geologic conditions and injection volume and duration considerations. The approaches include the use of 1) risk-based methods to define AoR and PISC duration, 2) an EPA-approved AoR and PISC documented in the FutureGen 2.0 UIC Class VI permit applications, and 3) cost model default settings that utilize uncertainty multipliers to estimate CO 2 plume and pressure front extent as part of AoR determination, as well as a 50-year PISC default. From all three sources, the AoR and PISC specified in the Class VI permit applications for FutureGen 2.0 were the largest and longest relative to the other two sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Validation of the NLR Pumped Storage Hydropower Cost Model

The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) first released its pumped storage hydropower (PSH) cost model in 2023 as the most detailed bottom-up PSH cost model available to the public. It is available both as a spreadsheet and an interactive web tool, enabling users with a variety of PSH interests to transparently characterize costs of alternative PSH sites and designs. The PSH cost model cannot replace detailed site-level studies and design, but it is important to validate it against other industry PSH cost estimates. The initial model methodology report validated the cost model for a single proposed site, the Eagle Mountain Project in California. This slide deck documents an expanded validation exercise using cost data from six other sites: Goldendale (Washington), Seminoe (Wyoming), Gordon Butte (Montana), Swan Lake (Oregon), White Pine (Oregon), and Lewis Ridge (Kentucky). It compares itemized costs from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) applications and other reported costs with NLR PSH cost model outputs after customizing inputs for each site. The validation exercise finds that the NLR model's conservative indirect cost assumptions often drive overall cost overestimation, with direct cost comparisons typically agreeing more closely. All cost model estimates are well within an Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) Class 5 estimation range (-50% to +100%), with five within the AACE Class 4 range (-30% to +50%) and four being within 15%. This result is considered reasonable performance for a parametric model applied at a preliminary design stage.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Cost Model for Pumped Storage Hydropower Geomembrane Lining Systems

The Cost Model for Pumped Storage Hydropower Geomembrane Lining Systems offers an approximation of geomembrane lining system costs for pumped storage hydropower (PSH) reservoirs. Geomembrane lining systems have been used around the world for over 60 years for the construction of dams and reservoirs. Although geomembrane lining systems have found widespread use in the construction of canals and waste containment systems, they have not been utilized in the construction of new PSH facilities in the United States since the Mount Elbert PSH powerplant in Colorado. For this reason, PSH developers in the United States expressed the need for a tool that would allow them to estimate the costs of geomembrane lining systems for their PSH projects. To meet this need, the Cost Model for Pumped Storage Hydropower Geomembrane Lining Systems was developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with support from Argonne National Laboratory and Stantec, Inc. This Cost Model will enable PSH developers to develop a preliminary estimate of the cost of geomembrane lining systems and to better understand different reservoir lining options and their cost and performance characteristics, thus enabling them to make informed decisions related to preferred reservoir lining systems for their PSH projects.

DeNeale, Scott [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORN↗

1.2.2.404 – Improving the Representation of Hydropower in Production Cost Models

This project's goal is to improve hydropower's representation in power system models by actively coupling river basin (hydrologic) models with grid operations (production cost) models. Near term, this work provides a foundation that allows improved available flexibility and operational constraints representation. Longer term, the work will provide a template that can be used by commercial production cost modeling software vendors to capture the nuances of hydropower operations in their software offerings.

HYDRO ENERGY↗

FECM/NETL Offshore CO2 Saline Storage Cost Model

The FECM/NETL Offshore CO2 Saline Storage Cost Model (CO2_S_COM_Offshore) estimates costs for a CO2 storage project in an offshore saline formation or reservoir. It is applicable for storage projects located on the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of America. The purpose is to model the costs associated with a project, using simplified geo-engineering equations to calculate reservoir values needed to determine costs (such as CO2 plume area and number of injection wells). To use the model, change any of the inputs, which are always in orange cells, to the values you desire. Although there are numerous values that can be changed, the values expected to be of most interest have input cells on the 'Key_Inputs' sheet. Last update: 5/2/2025; Version 1.1 corrects bug in reservoir thickness calculations.

Carbon storage↗

An open-source framework for balancing computational speed and fidelity in production cost models

Studies of bulk power system operations need to incorporate uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, especially around exposure to weather and climate variability and extremes, but this remains a computational modeling challenge. Commercial production cost models (PCMs) have shorter runtimes, but also important limitations (opacity, license restrictions) that do not fully support stochastic simulation. Open-source PCMs represent a potential solution. They allow for multiple, simultaneous runs in high-performance computing environments and offer flexibility in model parameterization. Yet, developers must balance computational speed (i.e. runtime) with model fidelity (i.e. accuracy). In this paper, we present Grid Operations (GO), a framework for instantiating open-source, scale-adaptive PCMs. GO allows users to search across parameter spaces to identify model versions that appropriately balance computational speed and fidelity based on experimental needs and resource limits. Results provide generalizable insights on how to navigate the fidelity and computational speed tradeoff through parameter selection. We show that models with coarser network topologies can accurately mimic market operations, sometimes better than higher-resolution models. It is thus possible to conduct large simulation experiments that characterize operational risks related to climate and weather extremes while maintaining sufficient model accuracy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

COMPOFF: A Compiler Cost model using Machine Learning to predict the Cost of OpenMP Offloading

The HPC industry is inexorably moving towards an era of extremely heterogeneous architectures, with more devices configured on any given HPC platform and potentially more kinds of devices, some of them highly specialized. Writing a separate code suitable for each target system for a given HPC application is not practical. The better solution is to use directive-based parallel programming models such as OpenMP. OpenMP provides a number of options for offloading a piece of code to devices like GPUs. To select the best option from such options during compilation, most modern compilers use analytical models to estimate the cost of executing the original code and the different offloading code variants. Building such an analytical model for compilers is a difficult task that necessitates a lot of effort on the part of a compiler engineer. Recently, machine learning techniques have been successfully applied to build cost models for a variety of compiler optimization problems. In this paper, we present COMPOFF, a cost model which uses the multi-layer perceptrons to statically estimates the Cost of OpenMP OFFloading. We used six different transformations on a parallel code of Wilson Dslash Operator to support GPU offloading, and we predicted their cost of execution on different GPUs using COMPOFF during compile time. Our results show that this model can predict offloading costs with a root mean squared error in prediction of less than 0.5 seconds. Our preliminary findings indicate that this work will make it much easier and faster for scientists and compiler developers to port legacy HPC applications that use OpenMP to new heterogeneous computing environment.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

User's Manual for the FE/NETL Onshore CO 2 EOR Cost Model, Version 1

This user's manual describes the conceptual and mathematical basis for the FE/NETL Onshore CO 2 EOR Cost Model (a Fortran program). The model performs a cash flow analysis to estimate the cost of implementing CO 2 EOR using supercritical CO 2 by incorporating oil field performance outputs for a pattern from the FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model (available on NETL's website along with its associated user's manuals under the Collection Name: FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model) and implementing patterns to develop an oil field for CO 2 EOR. The model calculates capital costs, operation and maintenance costs, and financing costs. The user’s manual also describes how to run the FE/NETL Onshore CO 2 EOR Cost Model, along with the model’s file structure, inputs and outputs. The FE/NETL Onshore CO 2 EOR Cost Model is available on NETL's website under the Collection Name: FE/NETL Onshore CO 2 EOR Cost Model.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Updated Baseline Cost Model for Hydropower (2023)

The "Updated Baseline Cost Model (BCM) for Hydropower" is an empirical model for estimating the costs of US hydropower projects in six categories (Non-Powered Dam (NPD), New Stream Development (NSD), Canal/Conduit, Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH), Capacity Expansion, Generator Rewind). The model equations have been estimated with data on existing or planned projects obtained from various sources. NOTE: This is a macro-enabled workbook, so Excel may block it on the first opening. In that case: 1. Save the workbook to a local directory 2. Right-click on the workbook in the local directory and select “Properties” 3. Then check “Unblock” at the bottom of the “General” tab.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Analysis of Distributed Energy Storage as a Core Grid Infrastructure via Production Cost Modeling

Energy storage plays a pivotal role in enabling power system operation with more flexibility and resilience. Unlike current practice that considers energy storages as attached ancillary devices, this paper focuses on storages as a core infrastructure by looking at their spatial distribution in the system. A sensitivity analysis based on production cost modeling is conducted to demonstrate the benefits of distributed energy storages. First, the modeling of energy storages in production cost modeling is presented. Second, potential optimal locations of distributed energy storages in a power system are discussed. Finally, multiple scenarios with various numbers and locations of additional distributed energy storages in the WECC 2030 model are created. The production cost modeling results of these scenarios show that distributed energy storages have higher utilization compared to the centralized ES units and therefore provide significantly more benefits in terms of reduction in generation cost, emission cost, and volatility of location marginal prices. A saturation effect is observed suggesting the selection of optimal locations will further improve the benefits.

Nguyen, Quan H.↗

Overview of the FECM/NETL CO2 Saline Storage Cost Model (CO2_S_COM)

Presentation describes the FECM/NETL CO2 Saline Storage Cost Model (CO2_S_COM), discusses inputs to the model, key assumptions and presents example results. Presentation at USAE Saline Storage Cost Modeling Workshop held in Washington DC on December 12, 2023 .

Morgan, David↗

NE-COST plug-in: Expanding ACCERT's Capabilities for Life-Cycle Cost Modeling

The Algorithm for the Capital Cost Estimation of Reactor Technologies (ACCERT) is a structured methodology and software tool designed to simplify and standardize cost estimation for nuclear reactor technologies [1]. By utilizing a relational database structure and modular cost estimation algorithms, ACCERT delivers a robust, flexible, and scalable framework for evaluating costs across various reactor types and configurations [2]. The recent integration of the NE-COST plugin further expands ACCERT’s scope by introducing detailed life-cycle cost modeling and probabilistic analysis of uncertainties. This addition enables users to evaluate costs across front-end processes such as uranium enrichment and fabrication, as well as back-end activities including waste disposal and geologic storage. Through Monte Carlo statistical cost simulations, the plugin provides probabilistic insights into cost ranges, offering critical decision-making support for stakeholders including reactor developers, policymakers, and researchers.

Zhou, Jia↗

FECM/NETL CO 2 Transport Cost Model (2022): Model Overview [Slides]

The FECM/NETL CO 2 Transport Cost Model (CO 2 _T_COM) is an Excel spreadsheet model that calculates the cost of transporting CO 2 from the beginning to the end of a pipeline. This document provides an overview of the model. This document is intended to provide a user with a briefer description of the model and how to use the model than the user’s manual.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Carbon storage cost modeling for the offshore Gulf of America

At the 2025 Annual University of Houston ROICE Workshop, Dr. Chung Shih delivered an invited talk titled "Carbon Storage Cost Modeling for the Offshore Gulf of America." This presentation highlighted the capabilities of NETL's offshore saline carbon storage cost model (CO2_S_COM_Offshore) in evaluating the economics of both new and reused storage infrastructure. While primarily intended for screening-level analysis, the model comprehensively considers critical components such as onshore facilities, pipelines connecting shore to offshore platforms, main platforms, and satellite platforms. Additionally, its integrated cashflow model encompasses the entire project lifecycle, from initial site screening to post-injection site care, providing users with a thorough understanding of how various operational or financial parameters impact project economics.

cost modeling↗

FECM/NETL CO 2 Transport Cost Model (2022): Description and User’s Manual

The FECM/NETL CO 2 Transport Cost Model (CO 2 _T_COM) is an Excel spreadsheet model that calculates the cost of transporting CO 2 from the beginning to the end of a pipeline. This document provides two main functions. First, the document describes the equations and algorithms that are used by the model to calculate technical quantities (such as the minimum inner pipe diameter needed to transport a user-specified CO 2 mass flow rate a specified distance) and engineering-economic quantities (such as capital costs, operating costs and cash flows). Second, the document is a user’s manual for the model that describes the procedures the user must follow to run the model. The document also describes input variables and output variables (i.e., results) for the model.

42 ENGINEERING↗