| The renewable energy industry is booming, and the development of better tools for the design of renewable energy systems has never been more important. This thesis thoroughly explores the development of a new web-based software tool that determines the optimal sizes of renewable energy systems. This new software is based on a spreadsheet tool used internally by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that performs annual average calculations.;A thorough literature review is conducted that provides insight on the available tools that perform renewable energy system sizing, different optimization techniques that may result in better optimal solutions, and provides an overview of the algorithms on which the newly developed code will be based. To aid in the development of the Python code behind the web-based software, the Excel spreadsheet formulas are translated into pseudo-code. Based on this annual average pseudo-code, pseudo-code that performs hourly calculations is developed. A new Excel spreadsheet tool that implements the hourly pseudo-code is created for use in analysis that establishes the benefits and added complexity of hourly simulation capability. An analytical comparison of the available tools is conducted in order to illustrate the value this new software tool will bring to the industry. The use of these tools helps illustrate the attributes a new software tool requires to be user-friendly.;The work in this thesis serves to establish the importance of the development of the new web-based renewable energy system sizing software tool, the value of going from an annual average to hourly simulation, and outlines the attributes that should be incorporated into the new software environment to create a tool that results in good solutions while maximizing user-friendliness. |
