Constraint on LUMPINV

[kristofferand]

Hi,

I would like to to build a constraint in TIMES that puts a lower bound on the LUMPINV for a particular technology and period. e.g. off-shore wind power in 2030. 

I would like to test the system-wide effect from increasing lump-sum investment in a particular technology for a given technology specific discount rate? 

Do any one know if this possible (or advisable) within TIMES? 


Cheers,

Kristoffer

[Antti-L]

You can use a user constraint for putting a lower bound on the following expressions of new capacity installed for a particular technology and period (e.g. off-shore wind power in 2030), or for any aggregation of several technologies.

   UC_NCAP(uc_n,side,r,t,p) × VAR_NCAP(r,t,p)
   UC_NCAP(uc_n,side,r,t,p) × VAR_NCAP(r,t,p) × sum(cur,NCAP_COST(r,t,p,cur))

The second expression (enabled by using the COST modifier) should be already close to what you want with UC_NCAP=1. There is currently no way to request TIMES to automatically adjust the NCAP_COST multiplier by the IDC and/or risk premium overheads in UC constraints. Therefore, if you have any IDC, you would have to include its effect in the UC_NCAP coefficient. And if you want the LUMPINV including the risk premium, you would also have to include its impact in the UC_NCAP coefficient.  But both of these two effects should be reasonably easily calculated in Excel in the scenario file where you define the constraint, for defining the adjusted value UC_NCAP > 1.