Expand technology replacement lifetimes

[BenWinchester]

Issue

CLOVER currently considers the need to replace the inverter used as part of the electricity system, with checks made to see whether the lifetime of the system's inverter has been reached during any given iteration period and, if so, whether it needs replacing. However, CLOVER does not consider the need to replace other technologies. E.G., PV panels are set at a lifetime of 20 years (the maximum permitted length of any CLOVER simulation). However, should a user install panels with a 10 year lifetime, then CLOVER would be unable to consider the need to replace the panels after 10 years.

This issue affects other components such as hot-water tanks, batteries, and even the diesel generator.

Proposal

CLOVER will consider the lifetime of the various technologies which might feasibly be replaced during a simulation period. It will then re-calculate installation and capital costs accordingly.

[BenWinchester]

General thoughts

This is definitely something that we should be doing in CLOVER to be rigorous in our modelling. Currently, CLOVER considers batteries as degrading over the lifetime of the system, without replacements being possible, and, as such, can, if the iteration length of an optimisation is long, oversize a system rather than consider multiple replacements of batteries installed. This applies to all of the components really: once their lifetimes have been reached, whether usage- or time-based, they should be replaced, with these costs incurred as capital (CAPEX) costs.

If we could do this under the IAA grant, that would be nice, but it doesn't affect the usability of CLOVER as such.

[BenWinchester]

I think that including both custom solar degredation rates and panel lifetimes within CLOVER is something worth seriously considering as part of the IAA grant as an advanced feature.