Grid powerflow: Defining transmission losses

[rmpattupara]

Dear All,

We are trying to include the TIMES add-on grid feature in our existing model. To understand this feature, we have been playing around with a toy model at first, and we have run into a problem with how to define transmission losses in this add-on. In the documentation, it is mentioned that GR_ENDFR(r,t,com,com) can be used to define the transmission losses of the electricity demand commodity. However, when we apply this, the total generation does not change compared to the case without transmission losses. For example, if we have 3 nodes with a demand of 10 PJ and we define the transmission losses through the GR_ENDFR on the demand commodity to be 20%, then the generation is still 10 PJ instead of 12 PJ. However, a reallocation of the demand among the demand nodes takes place when transmission losses are enabled.


Has anybody tried this feature to enable transmission losses? Probably we have misunderstood something, therefore  we attach the dummy model for you to get an understanding of how we have applied the add-on and the GR_ENDFR parameter.

Thank you all for your help,
Rajesh & Vangelis

[Antti-L]

You appear to be misunderstanding it. The description says:

GR_ENDFR(r,t,n,com) = user input parameter specifying the fractions of electricity demand commodities com to be allocated to grid nodes n in region r;
GR_ENDFR(r,t,com,com) = user input parameter specifying the estimated transmission losses of electricity demand commodity com in region r.

GR_ENDFR is thus the demand allocation parameter. The purpose of the special usage (com,com) is to make the demand allocation more accurate, by giving information of the (estimated) transmission losses already defined in the model, between the grid and the demand for electricity commodity com. (It would be very difficult for TIMES to derive the losses automatically, because they are, in general, endogenous). 

You cannot define any additional transmission losses with this parameter; it only affects the allocation, by giving approximate information about the losses, which are thus added to the allocated amounts, to get a better match between the supply and the demand when doing the allocation. You should have the transmission losses defined in the model in the normal way.