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Methodology

Why Trust Our Numbers

When your project financing depends on accurate simulations, you need to know exactly how the numbers are calculated. Here's our commitment to transparency.


STANDARDS COMPLIANCE

Built on Industry Standards

We don't invent our own algorithms. We implement established methodologies that lenders and investors already trust.

IEC 61724

PV system performance monitoring standard for loss waterfall calculations

NREL Guidelines

LCOE and financial analysis methodology from National Renewable Energy Laboratory

PVWatts

Industry-standard solar generation model with NOCT temperature corrections

Grid Code Compliance

Grid interconnection standards and power quality monitoring

"If a lender asks how we calculated LCOE, we can point to NREL methodology. If an engineer questions our loss chain, we cite IEC 61724. We don't defend proprietary black boxes—we implement standards that the industry already trusts."
— Our Engineering Philosophy

VALIDATION

Tested Against Industry Tools

We regularly validate our results against established tools and field data. Here's what we've verified.

Solar PV Generation

Cross-validated against NREL SAM and PVWatts for typical grid-connected systems across multiple locations and configurations.

<2%
Deviation from NREL SAM for annual energy yield on standard configurations
<3%
Hourly generation correlation (R²) with measured field data

Battery Degradation

Compared against manufacturer warranty curves and published degradation studies for LFP and NMC chemistries.

156+
Data points per battery model from manufacturer degradation tables
26 yrs
Degradation data coverage per battery (Year 0-25)

Financial Calculations

LCOE and cash flow calculations verified against NREL Annual Technology Baseline assumptions and methodology.

NREL
ATB-compliant cost assumptions and methodology
CRF
Capital Recovery Factor methodology for LCOE

Energy Balance

Conservation laws enforced at every timestep. No energy created or destroyed in simulation.

100%
Energy balance closure (generation = consumption + losses + storage)
8760
Hourly timesteps validated per simulation year

DATA INTEGRITY

How We Source Data

Every component in our database traces back to a verifiable source. Here's our process.

1

Manufacturer Datasheets

All component specifications (batteries, PV modules, inverters) come directly from manufacturer datasheets. We extract key parameters: efficiency curves, degradation tables, temperature coefficients, voltage ranges.

2

No Synthetic Data

If a manufacturer doesn't provide degradation tables, we don't generate synthetic ones. We either contact the manufacturer for data or clearly mark the component as having limited degradation modeling.

3

Weather from PVGIS & NREL

Solar irradiance and weather data from PVGIS (European Commission JRC) for global coverage, with NREL NSRDB for the Americas. Automatic source selection based on project coordinates. Custom TMY upload supported in CSV, Excel, EPW, and TMY formats.

4

Quarterly Updates

We update component databases quarterly to add new products and refresh specifications. Major releases are logged with changelogs so you know exactly what changed.

5

User Overrides Welcome

If you have better data for your specific project (measured soiling rates, site-specific losses, custom degradation curves), you can override database defaults. Your data takes priority.


HOW WE COMPARE

Energy Optima vs Industry Tools

Different tools serve different purposes. Here's where Energy Optima fits.

Feature
Energy Optima
HOMER Pro
NREL SAM
PVsyst
Manufacturer-specific battery degradation
Yes
Generic
Generic
No
Multi-year degradation simulation
Yes (50yr)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Hybrid system dispatch
Yes
Yes
Yes
Limited
Web-based (no install)
Yes
Desktop
Desktop
Desktop
API access
Yes
No
SDK
No
White-label reports
Yes
No
No
Limited
Free tier
Yes (14-day trial)
Paid only
Free
Paid only
AI-assisted engineering chat
Yes
No
No
No
Multi-currency financial modeling
Yes (39 currencies)
Limited
No
No

Comparison based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Features may vary by version/tier.


DEEP DIVE

Technical Resources

Want more detail? Explore our technical documentation and methodology deep-dives.

Platform Technical Details

Deep dive into Battery, Solar, Financial, and Hybrid Dispatch methodology with interactive tabs.

View on Platform page

API Documentation

REST API reference for programmatic access. Run simulations, retrieve results, integrate with your pipeline.

View API docs

Sample Reports

Download sample Excel exports and PDF reports to see exactly what deliverables look like.

Request samples

See our methodology in action

14-day free trial. Run simulations using real manufacturer data and industry-standard calculations.

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Questions about our technical approach? Contact our team