Improvements to HOMER Pro help users rapidly model distributed energy systems and immediately understand key results

Boulder, Colorado, May 23, 2019 - HOMER Energy is announcing a set of new features for its industry-leading microgrid modeling software, HOMERⓇ Pro, which will facilitate the simulation of hybrid renewable energy systems. To meet the demands of the growing microgrid industry, version 3.13 of HOMER Pro serves an audience with diverse training and skills by making it even easier to create models and evaluate results for renewable energy systems.

A new Welcome Screen highlights tools for getting started quickly, such as the Setup Assistant which allows users to set up a HOMER simulation in just a few moments. Along with the option to use default values, users can easily adjust inputs to reflect the individual characteristics of the systems they are modeling. The Welcome Screen highlights resources for new uses like the Setup Assistant, pre-made sample files, and a tour of the software interface. HOMER is making it easier for people new to distributed energy to join the industry in using HOMER Pro for designing microgrids.
The new version of HOMER Pro also improves the Time Series Viewer, a key feature that displays dozens of different data sets in graphic form. The Time Series Viewer provides instant visual cues as to how a given distributed energy system is performing over the simulated year, including when the various energy resources are dispatched. Now users can save their favorite plot combinations for future references in different files and in different simulations. This helps new users quickly view the plot they need and creates a customized experience for analyzing projects. The pre-set plots can be leveraged and added to create powerful, custom reports, which can then be used as communication or sales tools.
Another important usability improvement to highlight the most important high-level results is a results "Summary Tab." Along with the most important economic metrics like investment cost and payback time, the Summary Tab displays a graph showing the cashflow of the "winning" system compared with a baseline version, allowing the user to visually understand how the optimal system pays for itself.
The microgrid market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% world wide until 2027, when it will become a $31 billion industry according to Navigant Research. It is vital that project developers are equipped with the tools to design hybrid systems that are optimal from both an economic and engineering perspective. HOMER Pro continues to be the software of choice for the microgrid industry, and the new improvements save new and established project developers time as they look to quickly understand economic feasibility.

About HOMER Energy
HOMER Energy is the developer and distributor of HOMER software, the global standard for energy modeling tools that analyze solar-plus-storage, microgrids and other distributed energy projects. HOMER® Pro simulates the engineering and economic feasibility of complex off-grid and grid-tied distributed energy systems that combine conventional and renewable power, storage, and load management. HOMER Grid, aimed at the solar-plus-storage market, helps commercial and industrial customers design hybrid renewable energy systems that save on electricity bills and lower carbon footprints. Based in Boulder, Colorado, HOMER Energy was founded in 2009 by Peter Lilienthal, Ph.D., and Marilyn Walker, Ph.D, and now has over 200,000 users in more than 190 countries. Learn more at www.homerenergy.com www.homerenergy.com or call 720-565-4046. Follow us on Twitter @HOMEREnergy, LinkedIn, and Facebook.