Zonal Inputs#

This page documents all CSV inputs used when running SDOM with:

Component,Formulation
Network,AreaTransportationModelNetwork

Use this together with Inputs.

Zonal Conventions#

  • @ is a reserved delimiter in wide CSV headers.

  • Wide files use <entity>@<area_id>@ columns.

  • Within one file, non-key columns must be all tagged or all untagged.

  • area_id values must be consistent across files.

  • In row-oriented files (CapSolar.csv, CapWind.csv, Data_BalancingUnits.csv), IDs must be globally unique across areas.

  • StorageData.csv allows repeated technology names across areas because headers are tagged (for example Li-Ion@A1@, Li-Ion@A2@).

Network Selector#

formulations.csv#

Add a Network row:

Component,Formulation
Network,AreaTransportationModelNetwork

Valid values:

  • CopperPlateNetwork

  • AreaTransportationModelNetwork

If Network is missing, SDOM defaults to CopperPlateNetwork.

New Zonal Files#

areas.csv#

Required in zonal mode.

Column

Meaning

area_id

Area identifier (primary key).

description

Free text description.

Example:

area_id,description
A1,North area
A2,South area

interconnections.csv#

Required in zonal mode.

Column

Meaning

line_id

Line identifier (unique).

from_area

Origin area ID.

to_area

Destination area ID.

Example:

line_id,from_area,to_area
L_A1_A2,A1,A2

LineCap_FT.csv#

Required in zonal mode. Hourly directional capacity for from_area -> to_area.

LineCap_TF.csv#

Required in zonal mode. Hourly directional capacity for to_area -> from_area.

Both line-cap files:

  • Must have the same line columns as interconnections.csv.

  • Must have the same hour count as the run horizon (n_hours).

  • Must be non-negative.

Example:

*Hour,L_A1_A2
1,500
2,500

Modified Existing Files in Zonal Mode#

Row-oriented files with area column#

  • CapSolar.csv

  • CapWind.csv

  • Data_BalancingUnits.csv

Add area_id column.

Example:

sc_gid,area_id,capacity,CAPEX_M,trans_cap_cost,FOM_M
132876,A1,430.68,708.55,5323.33,8.29
Nordeste,A2,1.0,6209.28,0,94.08

Wide files with tagged headers#

Typical files:

  • Load_hourly.csv

  • Nucl_hourly.csv

  • otre_hourly.csv

  • lahy_hourly.csv

  • lahy_max_hourly.csv, lahy_min_hourly.csv (if budget hydro)

  • Import_Cap.csv, Import_Prices.csv

  • Export_Cap.csv, Export_Prices.csv

  • StorageData.csv

Example:

*Hour,Load@A1@,Load@A2@
1,800,600
2,820,590

Capacity-factor files#

  • CFSolar.csv

  • CFWind.csv

These remain plant-keyed and do not require @area_id@ tags.

CopperPlate Aggregation Fallback#

If zonal data is loaded while Network=CopperPlateNetwork, SDOM aggregates all areas into a single synthetic default area.

High-level behavior:

  • Hourly demand and capacities are summed.

  • Import/export prices are capacity-weighted averaged.

  • Interconnection and line-cap files are ignored.

  • A warning is logged.

Validation Summary#

Common validation errors in zonal mode:

  • Missing required files (interconnections.csv, LineCap_FT.csv, LineCap_TF.csv).

  • Unknown area IDs in tagged columns or topology.

  • Mixed tagged and untagged columns in a single wide file.

  • Duplicate line_id or duplicate (from_area, to_area) pairs.

  • Negative line capacities.

  • Duplicate plant IDs across areas for row-oriented VRE and balancing-unit files.