List of SSC Compute Modules

A compute module is an executable performance model, financial model, or a module that provides functions called by other compute modules during a simulation.

See below for a list of SSC compute modules that you can access in PySAM.

(HD) indicates modules that are used to build any SAM configurations. These modules either contain helper functions called by other compute modules, or are deprecated older versions of compute modules. For example, the CbConstructionFinancing module is not in the execution sequence of any configurations, but it is used by some modules, such as TcsMSLF, to calculate construction financing cost during a simulation. Utilityrate4 is a deprecated version of Utilityrate5 that was used in older versions of SAM.

PySAM uses a slightly different naming convention for compute modules than SSC: PySAM module names are capitalized or use camel case (Pvwattsv8, TroughPhysical), and SSC module names are lower case with underscores (pvwattsv8, trough_physical).

Battery: Battery storage standalone model .
BatteryStateful (HD): Battery management system model with state
Battwatts (HD): simple battery model
Belpe: Estimates an electric load profile given basic building characteristics and a weather file
Biomass: Utility scale wind farm model (adapted from TRNSYS code by P.Quinlan and openWind software by AWS Truepower)
Cashloan (HD): Residential/Commerical Finance model.
CashloanHeat (HD): Residential/Commerical Finance model for heat.
CbConstructionFinancing (HD): Construction financing cost calculations
CbEmpiricalHceHeatLoss (HD): Empirical HCE Heat Loss
CbMsptSystemCosts (HD): CSP molten salt power tower system costs
Communitysolar: Comunity Solar Financial Model
CspDsgLfUi (HD): Calculates values for all calculated values on UI TES page(s)
CspSubcomponent: CSP subcomponents
CustomGeneration (HD): Custom Generation Profile (formerly Generic System)
Equpartflip: All Equity Partnership Flip Financial Model
EtesElectricResistance: Electric resistance heater charging TES from grid, discharge with power cycle
EtesPtes: Heat pump charging two two-tank TES from grid, discharge with power cycle
FresnelPhysical: Physical Fresnel applications
FresnelPhysicalIph: Physical Fresnel IPH applications
Fuelcell: Fuel cell model
Geothermal: Geothermal monthly and hourly models using general power block code from TRNSYS Type 224 code by M.Wagner, and some GETEM model code.
GeothermalCosts (HD): Geothermal monthly and hourly models using general power block code from TRNSYS Type 224 code by M.Wagner, and some GETEM model code.
Grid (HD): Grid model
Hcpv: High-X Concentrating PV, SAM component models V.1
HostDeveloper: Host Developer Financial Model
Hybrid (HD): Hybrid processing
HybridSteps (HD): Hybrid processing with ‘steps’ passed in on how to combine
Iec61853interp (HD): Determine single diode model parameters from IEC 61853 solution matrix at a given temperature and irradiance.
Iec61853par (HD): Calculate 11-parameter single diode model parameters from IEC-61853 PV module test data.
InvCecCg (HD): CEC Inverter Coefficient Generator
IphToLcoefcr: Convert annual energy to kWt-hr and adjust fixed cost to include electric parasitic costs.
Ippppa (HD): Utility IPP/Commerical PPA Finance model.
Irradproc (HD): Irradiance Processor
Layoutarea (HD): Layout Area Calculation
Lcoefcr: Calculate levelized cost of energy using fixed charge rate method.
LcoefcrDesign (HD): Calculate levelized cost of energy using fixed charge rate method.
Levpartflip: Leveraged Partnership Flip Financial Model
LinearFresnelDsgIph: CSP model using the linear fresnel TCS types.
Merchantplant (HD): Single Owner Financial Model
MhkCosts (HD): Calculates various cost categories for Marine Energy arrays for different device types.
MhkTidal (HD): MHK Tidal power calculation model using power distribution.
MhkWave (HD): MHK Wave power calculation model using power distribution.
MsptIph: CSP molten salt power tower with hierarchical controller and dispatch optimization
MsptSfAndRecIsolated (HD): MSPT solar field and tower/receiver model
PtesDesignPoint (HD): PTES Design Point
Pv6parmod (HD): CEC 6 Parameter PV module model performance calculator. Does not include weather file reading or irradiance processing, or inverter (DC to AC) modeling.
PvGetShadeLossMpp (HD): PV get shade loss fraction for strings
Pvsamv1: Photovoltaic performance model, SAM component models V.1
Pvsandiainv (HD): Sandia PV inverter performance calculator.
Pvwattsv5 (HD): PVWatts V5 - integrated hourly weather reader and PV system simulator.
Pvwattsv51ts (HD): pvwattsv5_1ts- single timestep calculation of PV system performance.
Pvwattsv7 (HD): PVWatts V7 - integrated hourly weather reader and PV system simulator.
Pvwattsv8: PVWatts V8 - integrated hourly weather reader and PV system simulator.
Saleleaseback: Sale Leaseback Financial Model
Sco2AirCooler (HD): Returns air cooler dimensions given fluid and location design points
Sco2CompCurves (HD): Calls sCO2 auto-design cycle function
Sco2CspSystem (HD): …
Sco2CspUdPcTables (HD): …
Singlediode (HD): Single diode model function.
Singlediodeparams (HD): Single diode model parameter calculation.
Singleowner: Single Owner Financial Model
SingleownerHeat (HD): Single Owner Financial Model for Heat
SixParsolve: Solver for CEC/6 parameter PV module coefficients
Snowmodel (HD): Estimates the Detrimental Effects due to Snow Fall
Solarpilot (HD): SolarPILOT - CSP tower solar field layout tool.
Swh: Solar water heating model using multi-mode tank node model.
TcsMSLF (HD): CSP model using the molten salt linear fresnel TCS types.
TcsgenericSolar: Generic CSP model using the generic solar TCS types.
TcslinearFresnel: CSP model using the linear fresnel TCS types.
TcsmoltenSalt: CSP molten salt power tower with hierarchical controller and dispatch optimization
TcstroughEmpirical: CSP model using the emperical trough TCS types.
TcstroughPhysical (HD): CSP model using the emperical trough TCS types.
TestUdPowerCycle (HD): Test user-defined power cylce model
Thermalrate (HD): Thermal flat rate structure net revenue calculator
ThermalrateIph (HD): Thermal flat rate structure net revenue calculator
Thirdpartyownership: Residential/Commercial 3rd Party Ownership Finance model.
TidalFileReader (HD): SAM Tidal Resource File Reader
Timeseq (HD): Time sequence generator
TroughPhysical: Physical trough applications
TroughPhysicalIph (HD): Physical trough iph applications
UiTesCalcs (HD): Calculates values for all calculated values on UI TES page(s)
UiUdpcChecks (HD): Calculates the levels and number of paramteric runs for 3 udpc ind variables
UserHtfComparison (HD): Evaluates equivalence of two user-defined HTF tables
Utilityrate (HD): Electricity bill calculator (deprecated)
Utilityrate2 (HD): Electricity bill calculator based on OpenEI Version 2 (deprecated)
Utilityrate3 (HD): Electricity bill calculator based on OpenEI Version 3 (deprecated)
Utilityrate4 (HD): Electricity bill calculator based on OpenEI Version 4 (deprecated)
Utilityrate5: Electricity bill calculator based on OpenEI Version 8
Utilityrateforecast: Compute the utility rate costs associated with a given rate and time series array of grid usage.
WaveFileReader (HD): SAM Wave Resource File Reader
Wfcheck (HD): Weather file checker for solar resource data.
Wfcsvconv (HD): Converter for TMY2, TMY3, INTL, EPW, SMW weather files with solar resource data to SAM CSV format
Wfreader (HD): Standard Weather File Format Reader (TMY2, TMY3, EPW, SMW, WFCSV)
WindFileReader (HD): SAM Wind Resource File Reader (SRW)
WindObos (HD): Wind Offshore Balance of System cost model
Windbos (HD): Wind Balance of System cost model
Windcsm (HD): WISDEM turbine cost model
Windpower: Utility scale wind farm model (adapted from TRNSYS code by P.Quinlan and openWind software by AWS Truepower)