Methodology

NASH Metrics

NASH | dev key metrics enable the user to discover individual energy projects from multiple data-driven perspectives.

Energy sources: Wind, Solar Hybrid
Seamless connection of resource availability, technology choices, energy production and market value
Visualization in maps across all metrics to identify the best location and support relative comparisons of different sites
Select a potential project location to display the specific time series dataset within the 12-month x 24-hours matrix
Region: Europe (1)

Resource Availability

Wind Speed, Global Horizontal Irradiance and Hybrid Resource Intensity are displayed globally to explore site specific conditions and yearly distribution on an hourly basis.

Wind Speed (m/s)

global wind speed map utilizes Global Wind Atlas (1) data, long-term average based on data from 2008 to 2018
Hourly time series utilizes ERA 5 (2) data, long-term average based on data from 2008 to 2021
Spatial resolution of ERA 5 (2) hourly time series is enhanced via GWA positional lookup and correction
- positional lookup from Global Wind Atlas (1) long-term average from 2008 to 2018
- apply correction on ERA 5 data for timeframe from 2008 to 2021
- new data set “NASH ERA 5 bias correction GWA” (3) is displayed in a 12-month x 24-hour matrix and utilized for all time-series based metrics
- while the applied method increases uncertainty, the high positional accuracy is of advantage to serve the early-stage development phase

Solar Radiation (W/m²)

Global Horizontal Irradiance map and hourly time series utilizes ERA 5 (4) data, long-term average based on data from 2008 to 2021
Without any tilt or latitude correction

Hybrid Resource Intensity (%)

Hybrid Resource Intensity index to combine Wind Speed and Solar Radiation
index reaches from 0-100%, whereas a Wind Speed of 12m/s and a Solar Radiation of 250 W/m² equal 100%
Underlying data sources for Wind Speed and Solar Radiation are utilized as described above.
Different capacity ratios can be selected, depending on site-specific conditions and optimization preferences:
- 50% Wind / 50% Solar
- 75% Wind / 25% Solar
- 25% Wind / 50% Solar

¹ see detailed country break down for historical and future markets in footnote 2 and 3

Energy Production

Energy Production, Capacity Factor and 24/7 Green Energy are calculated for each position in Europe based on auto-selection of generic asset types and configuration parameter.

Wind - Annual Energy Production (MWh/MW p.a.)

Asset production map and matrix based on time series data “NASH ERA 5 bias correction GWA” (3) to increase spatial resolution
Generic asset types, related power curves at standard air density 1,225 kg/m³ and other relevant parameters are automatically selected based on site-specific long-term average wind speed
Generic wind turbine technology choices reach from ultra-low (180 W/m²) to high (350 W/m²) wind speed turbine configurations
Annual Energy Production (P50) is displayed in MWh/MW p.a., considering 10% wind farm losses

Solar - Annual Energy Production (MWh/MWp p.a.)

Asset production map and matrix based on time series data “ERA 5 Solar” (4).
Calculations are based on fixed-mounted, monocrystalline PV modules
Tilt- and azimuth angles of the PV modules are derived by latitude (Lat) and longitude (Long) coordinates for the selected location on the surface of the earth
Tilt angle is defined by the latitude coordinate (unsigned value) of the selected location:
- tilt angles between 5°- 45°: match exactly the latitude of the position (position latitude = tilt) of the selected location
- position latitude > 45°: limit tilt value to 45° (wind introduced loads and related reinforcement of structural components may not be compensated with higher energy production)
- position latitude < 5°: limit tilt value to 5° (low-tilt PV modules are more susceptible to "soiling" by dirt and debris which can reduce overall PV efficiency)
Azimuth angle is defined by the longitude coordinate of the selected location and face towards the equator:
- northern hemisphere => azimuth value equals 180°
- southern hemisphere => azimuth value equals 0°
Annual Energy Production (P50) is displayed in MWh/MWp p.a., considering 14% solar plant system losses and an ambient temperature of 15 °C.

Capacity Factor (%)

Capacity factor maps and 12x24 matrix show the ratio between actual energy output and theoretical maximum energy output over a given period

24/7 Green Energy (%)

Covering our energy demand with green energy supply 100% of the time (“24/7 Green Energy”) is a key requirement for the deep decarbonization of our economy
Production volatility of wind and solar power plants makes 24/7 Green Energy a challenging objective to achieve
Site selection, layout and technical configuration impact the ability of renewable assets to contribute to 24/7 Green Energy
To assess this site- and technology-specific contribution to 24/7 Green Energy, we have developed a metric that measures the reliability of green energy supply
Defined as follows: number of annual production hours above 25% of the asset’s installed capacity as % of total hours per year

Value Creation

Day-ahead Prices per year and market bidding zone in Europe for historical and future years are used to calculate and visualise project specific Day-ahead Revenue, Capture Price and Capture Rate.

Day-ahead Price (EUR/MWh)

Average Day-ahead Market Prices for each market bidding zone in Europe² are displayed in maps and more details are accessible within the 12x24 Matrix
Select a specific year:
- historical energy prices for years 2015/16/17/18/19/20/21 based on ENTSO-E (5)
- expected future energy prices for years 2025/30/35³ based on THEMA market forecast⁴ and scenario "base case" (6)

Day-ahead Revenue (EUR/MW p.a.)

Day-ahead Revenue in EUR/MW per year is displayed in maps and 12x24 Matrix
Project specific Day-ahead Revenue calculations and visualizations are based on all input data and selection options as defined above for the selected year

Capture Price (EUR/MWh)

Capture Price describes the weighted average Day-ahead Market Price at which the asset produces energy within a certain market for the selected year
Energy market including all energy-producing assets defines the baseload energy price / spot-price average
Spot prices may be considerably below baseload energy prices in times when peak renewable production meets insufficient energy demand
Project-specific Capture Price calculations and visualizations are based on all input data and selection options as defined above for the selected year

Capture Rate (%)

Capture Rate is the Capture Price divided by the baseload energy price
A power plant producing baseload energy has a capture rate of 100%
Non-dispatchable energy assets mostly have a Capture Rate below 100%
A flexible or peak energy producing asset produces when energy prices are high and hence has a Capture Rate of above 100%
Project-specific Capture Rate calculations and visualizations are based all input data and selection options as defined above for the selected year

A side word on Capture Price and Capture Rate: The cannibalisation effect.
“Non-dispatchable energy assets mostly have a Capture Rate below 100%.” This is caused by the so-called cannibalisation effect. The realised Capture Prices go down, in times of high energy production volume produced from the same type of non-dispatchable energy asset. For example, when an individual wind turbine or solar module produces energy, many others do so too. You are with Nash Renewables to improve your asset Capture Rate, let’s get started!

² EU States plus Switzerland, Norway, UK (only for years 2015- 2020) but without Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Portuguese islands, Spanish islands

³ 4 EU states plus Norway, Ukraine, UK but without Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Portuguese islands, Spanish islands

Data Sources

Wind Resources

(1) Global Wind Atlas (GWA)
Utilization: Wind Speed Map, input for data artefact (3)
Links: Reference Link, Methodology
Temporal Resolution: Annually
Spatial Resolution (Lat x Long): 0.0025° x 0.0025° (equals approx. 250 m x 250m in central Europe)

(2) ERA 5 Wind
Utilization: Input for data artefact (3)
Links: Website, Methodology
Temporal Resolution: Hourly
Spatial resolution (Lat x Long): 0.25° x 0.25° (equals approx. 30 km x 30 km in central Europe)

(3) NASH ERA5 bias correction GWA
Utilization: Base data for time-series calculations, visualizations, data overviews
Temporal Resolution: Hourly
Spatial Resolution (Lat x Long): 0.05° x 0.05° (equals approx. 3km x 3 km in central Europe)

Solar Resources

(4) ERA 5 Solar
Utilization: Base data for time-series calculations, visualizations, data overviews
Links: Website, Methodology
Temporal Resolution: Hourly
Spatial resolution (Lat x Long): 0.25° x 0.25° (equals approx. 30 km x 30 km in central Europe)

Energy Markets

(5) ENTSO-E
Utilization: Historical energy prices for Europe and 12X24 matrix
Link: Reference Link
Temporal Resolution: Hourly
Resolution: European Market zones

(6) THEMA
Utilization: Future energy price forecast from THEMA
Link: Reference Link
Temporal Resolution: Hourly
Resolution: European Market zones