HOMER Knowledge Base
Simulation where two generators of equal size are intended to share the load
I am trying to run a simulation whereby two generators of equal size are intended to share the load (during peak times). The issue is that when the results are captured, only Genset B or 2 operates to meet the load. Can you please provide some insight in how I can resolve this?
HOMER will make a decision based on lowest cost. Typically there's an economic penalty for simply running the generator even if it's not generating and power (i.e. the generator uses a certain amount of fuel to simply turn on and idle). The default settings in HOMER include this economic penalty. For this reason, it is more economic to operate the generator near the peak output, and this effect reduces the likelihood of 2 generators evenly splitting the load. You could reduce the fuel intercept coefficient for the generator, but this would likely be less accurate modeling of the true cost of running the generator.
If your load demand exceeds the the capability of a single generator, the second generator will turn on (unless, of course, you have PV or wind or other component that can meet this load).