Tutorial 1 - Example case (Results and Dashboards)

Sympheny’s Result Dashboards contain a wide array of interactive visualizations of the results for your scenarios. In this guide, we will show you how to access the results from Sympheny Web App and extract a first analysis based on the graphics found in the interactive dashboard. 

Accessing the Dashboards 

One Results Dashboard is generated for each Scenario that was executed.

To access the Results Dashboard of your analysis, click on the “View Results” button on the Results tab of the Analysis page.  When you click this button, you are first brought to the “Execution History” page. Click on “View” in the Results Dashboard column of the row corresponding to the Scenario you would like to view. 

If you have not executed the “Example Case“, follow this link to directly open the results: https://dashboard.app.sympheny.com/scenario?sId=1877/1677  

Scenario Dashboard

Upon opening the dashboard, you are brought to a landing page that contains an overview of all optimal solutions. On the upper right menu, you can access Solution Dashboards for each optimal solution, and each hub (if more than one was defined in the model).

The Scenario Dashboard is a great place to start exploring the results. Here you can find a summary of the following information:

• Optimal solutions and their objectives

• Cost summary

• Optimal design and operation

• Energy demand summary

• Total energy flow summary

Optimal solutions and their objectives

1 – Summary of the objectives of the extreme optimal solutions 

This table shows a summary of the two extreme optimal solutions, the minimum cost solution, and the minimum CO2 solution. They give the range in which the solutions are situated. The optimal solution in terms of cost has a green premium of 0 CHF/ton and it is the basis for the calculation of the green premiums of the other solution. A system diagram is also displayed, with, coloured grey, the technologies that are not considered for the solution.  

2 - Pareto Front  

The pareto front show the objectives of all the solutions of the scenario executed. For multi-objective optimization (cost and emissions), it directly gives a visualisation of how the emissions are impacted by the life cycle costs. Hovering over the points of the optimal solutions, you will see the exact life-cycle cost, emissions, and green premiums of each solution. 

Summary of Costs

3 – Total Cost and Total income balance (annualized) 

4 – Total investments 

The total cost & income balance graph gives an overview of the cost falling on the different phases as well as on the income generated by the exports and/or demand sale price. 

This information is essential for stakeholders to make decisions based on holistic considerations, particularly when working with renewable energy systems. Indeed, such systems adds up to the investment costs but often allow to reduce the energy cost during the life cycle and produce revenue by selling the energy surplus.  

Optimal design 

5 – Capacities of conversion technologies 

6 – Capacities of storage technologies 

7 – Capacities of networks 

The optimal design graphs give clear design guidelines for the systems of the site considered. This information, based on an hourly data resolution, is key for bringing reliability within the design of the energy system and allows for the planners to confidently move forward in the planning.  

Indeed, for each optimal solution, the graphs show the optimal capacity of each installed system. The capacity of the conversion technology is in kW, the capacity of the storage technologies in kWh. Please note that the power of the PV system is in Wp. 

As this tutorial only considers one hub and no networks, the diagram for the network capacities does not contain any information. 

Solution Dashboard

To get a deeper understanding of the operation of each optimal solution, let’s take a look at the solution dashboards. We will go through solution 3 in this guide.  

 1 – Energy system diagram 

The system diagram for the optimal solution shows the dimensioning of the selected technology candidates. It gives a clear overview to understand how the system is interconnected. 

System Design

2 – Capacities of conversion technologies 

3 – Capacities of storage technologies 

4 – Capacities of network technologies 

These graphs are similar to the ones found on the Scenario Dashboard (dashboard for all solutions) and are therefore not commented here.  

5 – Sankey diagram 

A Sankey diagram is generated for each month, as well as for the whole year. It represents the flow of energy from Imports (left side) to Conversion Techs & Storage Techs and to Demand & Export (right side). As the amount of energy is related to the size of the line, it is a powerful visual representation of the energy generated by each system and it clearly shows the efficiencies of the technologies.  

6 – Annual production of conversion technologies 

This graph is similar to the one found on the Scenario Dashboard (dashboard for all solutions) and is therefore not commented here.  

7 – Hourly State of Charge (SoC) of Storage Technologies 

This graph gives information of the hourly state of charge of the storage technologies.  

In the case of tutorial 1, the following can be stated: 

• The thermal storage is in use during the cold season. During the hot season, it is continuously recharged for the start of the cold season.  

• The dimensioning of the battery storage shows a daily pattern during the cold season. During the summer season, the battery is not fully discharged, hence not fully charged.  

Energy Flow 

8 – Monthly Energy Flow 

This graph shows all the following. 

• Output energy flow (+) of Conversion Technologies 

• Charge (-) and Discharge (+) energy flow of Storage Techs 

• Energy flow of Imports (+) 

• Energy flow of Exports (-) 

It should be noted here that the outputs from multi-output technology are added up in this visualisation. This means in this case, that heat and power are added up in the ‘gas CHP’ results. The color of the multi-output technology is dependent on its primary output: in this case, gas CHP was modelled with heat as a primary output and is therefore red.  

9a – hourly energy flows 

9b – hourly energy flows as Load Duration Curve 

Finally, the hourly energy flow graphs allow to have a very detailed view into the operation of each system.  This graph shows the same data than the Monthly energy flow graph, but with an hourly resolution:  

• Output energy flow (+) of Conversion Technologies 

• Charge (+) and Discharge (-) energy flow of Storage Techs 

• Energy flow of Imports (+) 

• Energy flow of Exports (-) 

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