Cycle Only Resources
Aurora has the ability to model commitment units which, if not committed, may also have the ability to run in a cycling mode with a modified capacity, heat rate, and startup cost (e.g., running the simple cycle portion of a combined cycle unit). This option can only be applied to resources which are defined as Non-cycling and is activated by populating the Cycle Only Capacity column with a nonzero value.
In general, it is recommended to use Commitment Optimization when modeling cycle only resources. In that case, the optimization algorithm will see the options of running in committed mode and cycling mode and will optimally choose between them.
When a unit is in cycling mode, it will be seen as a single segment that can turn on and off in a single hour with no minimum capacity (i.e., the minimum up and down times are not applied). Its capability is based on Cycle Only Capacity, and the fuel cost in cycling mode is based on the Cycle Only Heat Rate. Additionally, ramp rates are ignored when running in cycling mode. The Cycle Only Startup Cost input defines how much it costs to start the unit in cycling mode if it is not running at all in the previous hour. In the output, the CO_Capability_Reduct column can be used to see what periods the unit was in cycling mode.
See the other input columns for more information.
Cycle Only Resources
