December 2024
๐ Unit conversions
Various charts in Lens Power now have an x- or y-axis "unit" dropdown within the Chart Settings. When users select a different unit from the dropdown, then the chart (and chart table view) will do immediate calculations from the old unit to the new unit. The new unit will be reflected in the chart axis, chart tooltips, chart table columns, and in exports. Any unit changes will be remembered locally within each userโs browser session and can be saved into Spaces.
๐กTip: look for this in charts which measure generation and capacity!
November 2024
๐Quarterly updates to resource data
We've recently run our quarterly update of our resource data model, which includes updated solar irradiation, wind speed, capacity factors, and generation values for solar and wind assets.
This data can be visualized in the Performance dashboard when you are filtered to an individual wind or solar power plant.
๐ Further reading: Resource data for wind and solar assets
๐ฐ Generation weighted pricing:
Generation weighted asset level data is now available, combining hourly historic modeled generation data with historic pricing to deliver plant-specific insights. This data is currently available in Lens Direct and is displayed on the Prices dashboard in Lens Power via the basis chart when filtered to a power plant(s) that has both modeled generation and historic pricing.
When filtered to a power plant with appropriate mappings, open the chart settings by selecting the gear icon. Click the โDataset to visualizeโ and you will now have the option to select generation-weighted day-ahead basis or generation-weighted real-time basis.
When a generation-weighted dataset is selected, you will also have the ability to choose between two different curtailment scenarios:
No curtailment: Assumes asset generation is not affected by price.
Price <$0: Assumes that asset generation is 0 for all hours that when the price is less than $0.
๐ New nodal price data available in Lens Direct
Daily, monthly, and annual tables for price node, hub, and zone statistics have been added to the Historical Power Prices section of Lens Direct. These tables include descriptive statistics providing a detailed view of settlement point performance and volatility over different timeframes.
There is also a new price node metadata table in Historical Power Prices. This table includes market, zone, and asset mapping for each price node that we display.
๐ Further reading: How can I learn more about historical nodal price price behavior and statistics?
๐บ๏ธ Power market/zone map layers
Two new map layers have been introduced that display the market topology for global power markets, aligned with our strategic planning outlooks. These layers can be colored/filled by the following key metrics:
Supply generation
Demand load
Renewables mix
10Y supply generation growth (%)
10Y demand load growth (%)
10Y renewables mix growth (%)
The 'Power zones' layer is the default auto layer when visualizing the Supply, Demand, or Prices dashboard.
To add these layers to your map, open the 'Layers' library accordion in the lower right and toggle on either Power markets and/or Power zones.
To change the map layer style settings, such as controlling the metric used to fill the polygons, click the arrow next to the map layer name to open the settings:
October 2024
๐ Publication date added for LCOE forecasts
The LCOE summary data grid in the LCOE dashboard of Lens Power (and in Lens Direct) now has a 'Publication date' field available on each row representing the LCOE components for a given location/project type pairing.
The Publication date field indicates when data related to that particular forecast was loaded into the Lens Power UI and Lens Direct.
๐ Updated full-screen chart view
The full-screen chart view has been updated across the Lens platform with a new design and usability improvements which combine the chart, data grid, and chart settings into a single full-screen view.
To access, utilize the full screen option on the chart header (double edge arrow:)
From the full-screen view you can:
edit chart settings including x and y axis options, color by, and chart types
query and interrogate the underlying chart data table
download the chart or data to excel, csv, or image format
utilize tool tips to interrogate data or apply filters
To return back to the main Lens dashboard, simply use the full screen option (double edge arrow) in the upper right hand corner.
๐ฒUpdated LCOE cases available for selection
The 2024 LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) cases have been published and added to Lens Power. In addition to the base case, there are now low and high cases available, and each scenario has an option both with and without curtailment.
Utilize the dropdown in the LCOE dashboard to select your desired case, which will update the charts and data grid with the selected data.
The data grid has been updated to include both a reference to the case name, and a value for curtailment:
There are now 7 possible cases to choose from:
2024 Base Case (Uncurtailed)
2024 Low Case (Uncurtailed)
2024 High Case (Uncurtailed)
2024 Base Case (Curtailed)
2024 Low Case (Curtailed)
2024 High Case (Curtailed)
2023 Base Case
Data is also available via API in Lens Direct.
๐ Further reading: LCOE methodology, Compare the cost of power supply in different markets using LCOE benchmarking
August 2024
๐ฐ New intervals for estimated storage arbitrage revenue metric
The price nodes map layer and nodal statistics summary grid have new estimated storage arbitrage intervals available. Estimated storage arbitrage revenue is calculated as the difference between the highest price intervals and the lowest price intervals in a given day. This represents opportunity for energy storage systems at a given location.
For day ahead markets, hourly prices are used to calculate a daily value for estimated storage arbitrage revenue. For real time markets, 5 minute prices are used. To aggregate these values over a given time range, daily values are averaged together.
Estimated storage arbitrage revenue values are now available over 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 hour intervals.
๐ Further reading: How can I learn more about historical nodal price price behavior and statistics?
๐ Last updated date added to data summary grid for power plants and generating units
The power plant, generating unit, and generating unit company summary data grids in the Assets dashboard of Lens Power now have a 'last updated' field available for each power plant and generating unit entry.
The last updated field for generating units shows the date that the generating unit was last edited by our asset team. Assets are reviewed periodically and updated as needed. A last reviewed date will come soon. The last updated field for power plants shows the most recent date that one of the generating units associated with the given power plant was last edited.
๐ Hourly historical nodal basis
You can now view historical nodal basisโ the difference between a node price and a hub or zone priceโat an hourly granularity in Lens. This update offers a more detailed perspective on nodal pricing dynamics, providing clearer insights into basis fluctuations.
In the Prices dashboard, filter to a power plant or price node with price data.
From the basis cost chart, open the settings and select 'hour' from the x-axis dropdown and select the appropriate time range for your analysis.
๐ Last updated date added to Lens Direct for power plants and generating units
The power_plant_summary, generating_unit_summary, and generating_unit_company_summary tables in Lens Direct now have a 'last updated' field available for each power plant and generating unit entry.
The last updated field for generating units shows the date that the generating unit was last edited by our asset team. Assets are reviewed periodically and updated as needed. A last reviewed date will come soon.
The last updated field for power plants shows the most recent date that one of the generating units associated with the given power plant was last edited.
July 2024
๐ฐ Nodal price statistics data grid
There is a new data grid visible on the Prices dashboard when filtered to settlement nodes that allows for comparisons between multiple nodes, load zones, and hubs to compare various price statistics in either real ahead or day ahead terms. Statistics include mean, median, minimum, and maximum prices, standard deviation and variance, negative price frequency, basis, and estimated 4 hour storage arbitrage revenue. Statistics can be run over a set time period or a custom range.
๐ Further reading: How can I learn more about historical nodal price price behavior and statistics?
๐บ๏ธ Nodal price statistics available on Price Nodes map layer
The price nodes map layer has been expanded to not only show the latest price at the node but to also show statistics such as mean, median, minimum, and maximum prices, standard deviation and variance, negative price frequency, basis, and estimated 4 hour storage arbitrage revenue. These values can be determined over a set time period or a custom range. Use the layer settings to change the attribute which is displayed and to set the time range.
๐ Further reading: How can I learn more about historical nodal price price behavior and statistics?
June 2024
๐ New side by side bar comparison chart for benchmarking
A new visualization has been added to the supply and demand dashboards to enable side by side benchmarking and comparison of forecast supply generation, installation capacity, and demand load across countries, markets, zones, and resource groups for a selected year.
Utilize the chart settings to select the dataset to visualize, change the x axis and color by options, and to select the year's worth of data to analyze.
May 2024
๐ New historic modelled generation data for Solar and Wind assets
We've recently updated our resource data model for wind and solar assets to include historic generation. This data can be visualised in the Performance dashboard when you are filtered to an individual wind or solar power plant.
The generation can be viewed Annually or Monthly, Typical Metrological Year (TMY) and hourly data will be coming soon.
๐ Further reading: Resource data for wind and solar assets
๐Power plant ownership dashboard
When filtered to a single Power plant, a new Ownership dashboard is now available which shows a detailed ownership breakdown of the power plant and its associated generating units. The chart shows both direct and ultimate ownership of each generating unit.
โ
You can drilldown to a specific generating unit or direct owner by clicking on the chart, while clicking the center of the chart takes the user back to the previous view.
April 2024
๐Asset selection from map
One of the most powerful features of Lens is its combination of industry leading datasets with geospatial context. Natural resources are, by definition, locational, and spreadsheets alone are insufficient to understand these relationships. Our new map selection capabilities allow users to focus on proximal assets and infrastructure relevant to their workflows such as asset site suitability or subsurface analysis.
A rectangle and polygon selection tool have been added to the map controls to allow you to select multiple assets in order to add them to or exclude them from your filtered data.
Enable either the rectangle or polygon selection tool, toggle on a selectable layer from the layers for selection dropdown, and interactively select data from the map.
๐ Further reading: How do I select assets from the map to add to or exclude from my filters?
๐ตMarket opportunity dashboard
The new market opportunity dashboard overlays Wood Mackenzie trusted long-term power outlook forecasts with asset-level data to gain fundamental insights and strengthen power market investment strategies related to market opportunities.
The visualizations, charts, and insights in this dashboard can be used to explore workflows around entry and expansion into markets, understand revenue stream opportunities, and evaluating the competitive landscape in a given area.
Select the market opportunity dashboard from the left hand navigator, and then filter to a country, market, or zone covered by our long-term outlook coverage to explore more.
๐ Further reading: How can the market opportunity dashboard enhance your decision making?
February 2024
๐ Tooltips show percentage breakdown in stacked column and bar charts
The tooltips have been updated to display the percentage breakdown for stacked columns and bars in a chart.
Hover tooltip:
On-click tooltip:
๐ Written content: Country Long Term Outlook reports
When filtered to a country, the Supply, Demand, and Prices dashboards now have a new component displaying summary text highlighting updates and insights from the selected long term outlook. A link to the full report in the Wood Mackenzie portal is available as well. This is currently available for countries in Europe and APAC, and will be added for North America shortly.
โฒ๏ธ Hourly day ahead basis profile
A new 8760 basis profile is now included in the Basis cost chart on the Prices dashboard. When filtered to a power plant or price node, this data can be accessed in the Basis cost chart by changing the X-axis dropdown to โHour (8760 profile)โ. This displays the average day ahead basis value over the past three years for each hour in the year. This data can be used for asset specific price comparison and analysis.
๐ Sub-hourly Historic Price Data in Lens Direct
Historic zone, hub, and nodal price data is now available in sub-hourly increments in Lens Direct for entitled users. Data can be exported to a static download via Excel or .csv, or can be linked to external applications via an O-data feed.
๐ Usability improvements in the Power price and Basis cost charts
When filtered to a power plant, the Power price chart on the Prices dashboard will now default to show historic and projected data for a single node, as well as historic data for the zone that the project is in.
Additional settlement points can be added via the chart settings:
When filtered to a power plant, the Basis Cost chart on the Prices dashboard will now default to only show the basis series for the most relevant basis pair (ie. the zone that the project is in). A basis pair dropdown has been added in the chart settings panel to add additional basis series.
January 2024
๐ Updates to resource data, including addition of asset level solar irradiance and capacity factors
We've recently updated our resource data model, which includes the follow updates for wind and solar asset level data:
Weather data updated globally, including the addition of 3 solar irradiance values for solar assets:
Diffuse horizontal irradiance
Direct normal irradiance
Global horizontal irradiance
Additional wind assets modelled
Solar capacity factors now available globally
Capacity factors now available from 2013 to 2022
Wind model now runs at the turbine level
Additional turbine specification data in the US, including key inputs such as:
Rotor Diameter
Hub Heights
Turbine Rating & Number of Turbines
Installed Capacity
Capacity factors adjusted for operational start date
This data can be visualized in the Performance dashboard when you are filtered to an individual wind or solar power plant.
๐ Further reading: Resource data for wind and solar assets
๐ Asset level solar irradiance and capacity factor attributes
Four new power plant filters have been added to the filter drawer under Assets/Power plant/General that allow power plants to be filtered based on the average wind speed (m/s) at their location or their modelled wind capacity factor (%.) These filters provide a more detailed way to screen and analyze power plants utilizing historic and modelled resource data fields.
๐ Resource data ranking chart
There is a new chart on the Assets dashboard which allows asset level solar irradiance, wind speed, and capacity factor data to be aggregated up to allow for ranking countries, markets, zones, companies, developers, or power plants on these fields.
๐บ๏ธ Geospatial downloads
For users with a Lens Direct Power entitlement, it is now possible to export power plants, generating units, or the generating unit company table as a Geodatabase and/or a GeoPackage file for use in external mapping applications. These files contain geospatial information for the power plants or generating units, along with the other metadata attributes which can be used for styling and display purposes in external mapping applications.
For entitled users, this option can be found on the data grid in the Assets dashboard or via the new geospatial tables in Lens Direct.
Export options on data grid in Assets dashboard:
New geospatial tables in Lens Direct:
December 2023
๐ Summary dashboard
Our new Summary dashboard is now available in Lens Power. The Summary dashboard displays key metrics, benchmarks and visualizations when in the Global view or when filtered to Countries, Markets or Companies.
๐บ๏ธUpdate to the Power markets map layer
You can now change the year in the Power markets map layer to visualise the supply or demand mix for the selected year and forecast.
October 2023
๐ฐ Nodal price projections
In order to perform high throughput site-screening and asset specific price analysis, nodal price projections are now available for selected settlement points when filtered to a power plant. They are displayed in the 'Power price by settlement point' chart in the Prices dashboard, along with the zone price forecast and historic price data.
๐ Further reading: Nodal price projections
๐๏ธ Filter from data grids and chart tables
Most chart data tables and data grids now have the ability to select attributes to filter on directly from the table. This allows you to quickly focus in on selected data for further analysis.
A few examples:
When viewing the 'Top country by power capacity' chart in the Assets dashboard, switch to Table view.
Notice that the country attribute has a checkbox next to each listing. Toggle on one of these checkboxes to get the 'Add to filter' or 'Exclude from data' options. Selecting 'Add to filter' in this example will add a Country level filter to China to your global filters.
Another example can be found in the Annual supply summary data grid in the Supply dashboard. Scroll through the data grid and notice that you can select individual zones to add to or exclude from your global filters:
๐ฌ๏ธ Asset level wind speed and capacity factor attributes
Two new power plant filters have been added to the filter drawer under Assets/Power plant/General that allow power plants to be filtered based on the average wind speed (m/s) at their location or their modelled wind capacity factor (%.) These filters provide a more detailed way to screen and analyze power plants utilizing historic and modelled resource data fields.
๐Generating unit ownership dashboard
When filtered to a single generating unit, a new Ownership dashboard is now available which shows a detailed ownership breakdown at the unit level.
๐ Aggregate asset level data by state, renewable status
Two new aggregation options have been added to the 'Power capacity' chart in the Assets dashboard. You can now view capacity colored by renewable energy status or by state/province which allows for more detailed analysis at the asset level.
๐ฐ Expanded valuations coverage for European solar and wind assets
There is now expanded coverage of renewable asset valuation models for solar and wind assets in France and Germany, covering 2,800 unique asset cashflow models.
๐๏ธ Historic price data available in Lens Direct
Historic zone, hub, and nodal price data is available in Lens Direct at an annual, monthly, or hourly increment. Data can be exported to a static download via Excel or .csv, or can be linked to external applications via an O-data feed.
September 2023
๐ Additional demand forecast categories for Europe
Additional demand categories are available for European countries when viewing long-term outlooks in the Demand dashboard.
Each modelled region reports slightly different long-term supply and demand categories. These categories are aligned to support Wood Mackenzieโs global Lens view. This means that not all demand categories are available globally. In cases where a category is not modelled, zeros and nulls show up in the Lens interface.
๐ Further reading: Demand forecast categories
August 2023
๐ฐ Nodal price filter and dashboard
You are now able to filter to a specific price node in the US market to see historic price data down to an hourly granularity.
This filter can be found in the filter drawer through Location/Power location/Price Node or by searching for the price node name in the main search bar.
Visualizing a single price node will show a summary of data related to the selected node, such as associated power assets, along side a nodal energy price chart, historic hourly prices, and basis cost.
Visualizing two or more price nodes will show the nodal energy price chart and basis cost.
๐บ๏ธ Improvements to the layer library
Two small improvements have been made to the layer library to make it easier to quickly find and add layers to the map.
When you click 'Add layer' from the layer panel to add additional layers to the map, you now have the ability to search the layer list by name to narrow down the layer library.
Each layer also has a (i) tool tip where a brief description of the layer can be found, in order to better understand the available data.
๐ Map layer filtering
To aid with site selection / risking, you can now filter the wind speed, solar irradiance, land use land cover, and OSM layers to display only parts of the world where certain ranges of characteristics are observed.
For example, the map below shows the default mean wind speed layer, with all ranges of wind speed shown.
However, you may want to only show parts of the world where the mean wind speed is within a certain range as the turbines performance may be optimised in this range. To do so, click the mean wind speed chevron:
Then select "Filter map layer" and enter the value range you'd like to display. Once you're happy with this, hit "Done" and the areas of the world where the mean wind speed lies within this range will be displayed.
Remember, you can also click on the mean wind speed layer to view a pop-up to show the value at that location.
Similar functionality exists for the solar irridiation, land use cover and OSM layers (screenshots of the filter map layer options for these are shown below)
๐'Has historic energy price data' filter
It is now easy to determine which power plants have been mapped to nodes in order to view hourly historic energy price data at the node, hub, and zone level by using the new 'has historic energy price data' filter under Assets/Power plant/General in the filter drawer.
Applying this filter will update the dashboards and map to show only the power plants with historic energy price data.
June 2023
๐ป Lens interface updates
The Lens product teams have made several changes to the Lens user interface (UI) to make navigation easier, more intuitive, and visually pleasing. The biggest change is a new layout that follows a similar navigation pattern used in other web applications. We moved our menu to the left-hand side, and it is always visible, either displaying a scrollable list of available dashboards (workflows) or a collapsed view with icons. Next to this vertical navigation bar are the dashboards themselves, while the map is now on the right. This provides a logical flow across the interface.
Chart settings can be accessed using the cog wheel next to each chart title. This will let you change the dataset being visualized, update axis and color by options, as well as access data table views.
๐ Further reading: Questions about the new Lens Interface
๐ปPerform cross-commodity analysis
The energy transition involves multiple industries coalescing, and so the ability to look across the interconnected global energy system to make data-driven strategic investment decisions is paramount. The unified experience in Lens means that anyone entitled to Lens Power, Lens Hydrogen, and Lens CCUS solutions will be able to analyze, screen, benchmark, and value these datasets alongside each other in the same Lens interface, enabling incredibly powerful workflows. This cross-industry view lets users employ maps, dashboards, and filter/search/navigation tools to perform cross-commodity analysis and encourage exploration beyond basic questions.
The datasets and dashboards visible in Lens are tied to your subscription. If entitled, use the Industry filter to add additional datasets to your dashboards. Turning on multiple industries will combine datasets in the map and dashboards. For example, toggling on Power and Renewables and Hydrogen will show data of both project types in the Assets dashboard.
๐ Further reading: Questions about the new Lens Interface
โ๏ธCompare mode for long term outlooks
A โcompareโ mode has been added to the Supply, Demand, and Merchant Revenue dashboards that allows you to compare a selected metric from different long-term outlooks to see the delta. When viewing a specific forecast, you can now select a second forecast in the โcompare toโ dropdown. This will update your visualizations in the dashboard to compare a metric from the forecasts side by side. Utilize the โdataset to compareโ option in chart settings to change which metric is being compared, or the โdataset to visualizeโ option to view the delta/change between the two.
๐ขOwner or developer filter:
When searching or filtering to a company, it will return all assets where that company is listed as either the owner or developer. Be sure to open the filter drawer and use the owner or developer filter (under Company/Power company portfolio) to further define your specified view.
๐๏ธ Group by in data grids
The data grid in the Assets dashboard is used to show the power asset summary, generating unit summary, and generating unit company summary. It now has an option called Group data in this table, which allows the numerical attributes in the data grid to be aggregated up to a variety of different groupings for detailed analysis.
Open the data grid settings and toggle on 'group data in this table' to select how data should be aggregated.
โน๏ธ Tool tips with dashboard and attribute descriptions
Tool tips have been added to various parts of the interface to share more details regarding the dashboard or data attribute in question. When you hover over the name of a dashboard in the menu, a description will appear. The data grids in the Assets, Prices, and Merchant Revenue dashboards show column descriptions when hovering over the attribute names.
๐Change the color of a data series via the chart legend
Previously it was possible to change the color of a data series using the legend on the map. Now the color of a data series can be changed via the chart legend as well using the โฆ option located next to each entry Updating the color of a data series via the map or chart will update the color used for that data point in all locations.
๐ Country, market, and zone aggregations are available in Supply and Demand charts
Supply and Demand charts now show country, market, zone aggregation options in the color by setting without needing to apply additional filters.
๐๏ธ Asset summaries are combined for wind assets
When filtered to an individual wind asset, summary attributes have combined in the assets view.
๐ฐ Historic hourly prices now have their own chart in the Prices dashboard
Historic hourly prices now have their own chart within the Prices dashboard.
Historic monthly and annual prices can be viewed at the asset level alongside the zone forecasts in the energy price forecast by zone chart using the 'show additional data' option in the chart settings.
๐ Filter drawer organization
A new category, Specification, has been added to the filter drawer under Assets/Power plant. This is where you can find the energy source and technology filters, as well as technology specific filters such as solar module technology and wind turbine model.
๐บ๏ธ Interact with raster map layers
When the mean wind speed, solar irradiance, or land use land cover layers are added to the map, it is now possible to point and click on the map see the corresponding map value at the given location.
๐ต Further expansion of coverage for nodal pricing
The nodal prices map layer has been updated to include data for all 7 US markets covered by ISOs/RTOs: ERCOT, PJM, NYISO, ISONE, CAISO, MISO, and SPP. This provides a snapshot of nodal pricing that is updated every 5 minutes in order to analyze live market pricing on the fly. Real time nodal price data for these markets is available on the individual power plant level in the 'Prices' dashboard.
๐ Further reading: Source data for historic nodal prices
May 2023
๐ต Expanded coverage for nodal pricing
The nodal prices map layer has been updated to include data for NPCC ISO New England and Midcontinent ISO, in addition to existing data for ERCOT, PJM, and NYISO. This map layer is available for Lens Power users that provides a market snapshot of nodal pricing and allows you to quickly assess live market pricing.
Real time nodal price data for these markets is available on the individual power plant level in the 'Prices' dashboard, with historic backfill coming soon.
Expanded nodal pricing coverage across the United States is coming soon!
๐ Further reading: Source data for historic nodal prices
๐บ๏ธ New land use / land cover map layer
A new map layer reflecting the 2022 Sentinel-2 10m land use/land cover dataset is available for all Lens users. This map layer displays a global map of land use/land cover predictions for 9 different classes derived from ESA Sentinel-2 imagery at 10m resolution.
The new layer can be found in the 'add layer' library in the layer control panel.
๐ Further reading: Land use / land cover class definitions
April 2023
๐Chart information overlay on the Merchant Revenue chart
The merchant revenue chart now has a text overlay visible on the chart that reflects the selected zone and resource group visible on the chart. This provides additional context to the data being visualized. When the chart settings are used to update the zone - resource group pairing the text overlay will update to reflect the new selections.
Look for this overlay to come to more charts soon!
๐จUpdated layer styling
There are two new styling updates for map layers in Lens Power.
It is now possible to change the display color of the geopolitical boundary layers (country borders, US states, and US counties) by utilizing the settings menu in the legend.
You can now control the width of any Lens polyline or polygon layer that is displayed on the map. This option can be found in the layer settings menu within the layer control panel.
Map settings are preserved as part of saved and shared views within Spaces.
๐บ๏ธ Geopolitical boundary layers
There are 3 new map layers available in the layer library for all Lens users: country boundaries, US state boundaries, and US county boundaries. These layers can be visualized on-top of the base map for clearer distinction and identification of country borders, US states, and US counties.
Standard map functionality applies which makes it possible to add labels or change the opacity of the layers in the layer settings dialog, and control the order of layer posting vis drag/drop in the layer list. Additional functionality such as the ability to change the color and width of the border lines is comings soon.
๐ก Tip: Utilize the new 'blank' basemap alongside the boundary layers to create a custom view!
โ๏ธ Tool tip information for OSM transmission infrastructure layers
Clicking on an OSM substation, transmission line, minor line, or underground cable will now bring up a tool-tip with further attribute information, such as voltage and operator.
March 2023
๐บ๏ธ Real-time nodal pricing map layer
A new map layer, nodal prices, is available for Lens Power users that provides a market snapshot of nodal pricing and allows you to quickly assess live market pricing. The nodal price layer automatically updates every 5 minutes with real-time pricing from the market sources. Zoom in to a mapped node to see the current reported price.
Data is currently available for select nodes in ERCOT, PJM, and NYISO. More coming soon!
๐ Further reading: Source data for historic nodal prices
๐ Historic nodal basis risk
Quantify historic nodal basis risk at the asset level for node-zone and node-hub relationships. This can be analyzed for both real-time and day-ahead prices at the monthly or annual resolution.
This chart can be found in the Prices workflow when filtered to a power asset mapped to a node in ERCOT, PJM, and NYISO. More coming soon!
๐ Further reading: Source data for historic nodal prices
February 2023
๐ฐ Historic nodal, zonal, and hub pricing for PJM and NYISO
Visualize historic nodal, zonal, and hub pricing in order to quantify basis risk and curtailment events for power assets in PJM and NYISO. ERCOT historic nodal, zonal, and hub prices are also currently available. The asset level pricing is available at hourly, monthly, and annual resolution for both real-time and day-ahead prices.
Further expanded coverage to include other US and international markets is coming soon!
๐ Further reading: Source data for historic nodal prices
๐บ๏ธ Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: energy community map layers
There are 3 new layers in Lens Power that represent the location of each type of energy community within the US as defined by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Please note that Wood Mackenzieโs energy communities map layers are based on the definitions included in the IRA legislation. Further guidance on specificity is required from the US Treasury and is expected to be published in early 2023. Therefore, the energy communities map layers and subject to change.
Energy communities: brownfields - orange points
Energy communities: coal communities -
closed mines: light gray polygons
retired plants: medium gray polygons
closed mines & retired plans: dark gray polygons
Energy communities: employment and tax revenue - blue polygons
๐ Further reading: Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: energy community map layers
โ
๐บ๏ธ New OSM minor line and underground cable map layers and additional styling options
There are two new OSM transmission infrastructure layers available in the Lens Power layer library:
OSM Minor lines
OSM Underground cables
These are in addition to the layers added previously for transmission lines and substations. These global layers show coverage of transmission infrastructure as sourced from OpenStreetMap.
It is now possible to display labels on all of the OSM layers that indicate the name of the line, cable, or substation being visualized. The label setting can be turned on from style dialog corresponding to the layer.
January 2023
๐ฌ๏ธ Wind speed and capacity factor data for wind assets
Asset level historic wind speed and capacity factor information can be found within the 'Performance' workflow in Lens Power in order to aid in site suitability and screening workflows.
Wind speed and capacity factor data can be viewed at different time scales including monthly, annually, or hourly for a typical meteorological year (TMY.) Utilize the chart settings to change the time scale.
๐ Further reading: Resource data for wind assets
December 2022
๐ฐ Expanded coverage of assets available in Lens Power Valuations
You can now view Wood Mackenzie derived economic summaries and change basic valuation assumptions for an expanded selection of solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind assets in the United States.
๐ฐ REC, ZEC, and Capacity Prices available for US markets
Identify which US zones will provide the most attractive capacity, renewable energy credit(REC), and zero-emission credit (ZEC) pricing.
Pricing data for the different long term outlook forecasts can be found in the Prices workflow in Lens Power and Lens Direct.
๐ Merchant revenue breakdown for US markets
Examine expected asset performance by viewing the full merchant revenue breakdown by zone and technology for US markets.
Find this data in the 'Merchant Revenue' workflow within Lens Power and in Lens Direct.
The merchant revenue chart utilizes our new chart component with some new functionality. Download an image of the chart as a .png, .jpeg, .svg, or .pdf, and utilize the chart settings to select the zone - resource group pairing you wish to visualize.
๐ฅ Collective editing of shared views
You can also now grant editing rights for the views you share with the colleagues. They will be able to make changes to the shared view which is reflected to all. Owners of views can change access levels to recipients via manage access.
November 2022
๐ฐ Historic nodal, zonal, and hub pricing for ERCOT
Visualize historic nodal, zonal, and hub pricing in order to quantify basis risk and curtailment events for power assets in ERCOT. The asset level pricing is available at hourly, monthly, and annual resolution for both real-time and day-ahead prices.
Expanded coverage to include other US and international markets is coming soon!
๐ Further reading: Source data for historic nodal prices
๐ฐ Expanded coverage of assets available in Lens Power Valuations
You can now view Wood Mackenzie derived economic summaries and change basic valuation assumptions for a selection of solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind assets in Spain and Taiwan, along with new assets added in existing geographies such as the United States.
๐ Interconnection queue attributes added to generating units in ERCOT
Fields such as interconnection queue identifier, feasibility study status, and interconnection agreement status have been added to the generating unit data set for ERCOT assets. The attributes are visible in the generating unit summary table in both the Lens Power UI and Lens Direct, and have been added to the filter drawer to allow data to be filtered on interconnection queue status.
Interconnection queue attributes will be added for other markets shortly.
September 2022
๐ฐ Value select solar and onshore wind assets in Germany and the Netherlands
You can now view Wood Mackenzie derived economic summaries and change basic valuation assumptions for a selection of solar and onshore wind assets in Germany and the Netherlands, in addition to the existing offshore wind assets which were added previously.
๐ Further reading: How to value an offshore wind asset
๐บ๏ธUpdate styling of the OpenStreetMap transmission lines and substation map layers
It is now possible to update how the OSM Transmission line and OSM Substation layers are displayed on the map in Lens.
Open the visualization options for either layer and select the attribute you wish to color by:
The 'default' option available in both layers colors all of the data by a set color, which can be customized.
To change the color assigned to an attribute, use the color picker in the legend:
๐ Further reading: How to customize your Lens map
July 2022
๐ฐ Value select offshore wind assets in Japan
You can now view Wood Mackenzie derived economic summaries and change basic valuation assumptions for a limited selection of offshore wind assets in Japan.
๐ Further reading: How to value an offshore wind asset
๐บ๏ธ Map settings are saved as part of a View
In addition to saving your applied filters, current workflow, and valuation settings, saving a View now saves:
visible map layers and order
map style settings: opacity, color by options, etc
zoom level
Views can be returned to a later time to continue with further analysis, or shared with colleagues within your organization.
๐Further reading: Save your favourite queries and How to share a saved view with colleagues
โ๏ธ Demand component breakdown
In the Supply and Demand workflow a new chart has been added to show forecast demand over time.
Demand is broken out into base demand electric vehicle demand, and can be viewed by country, market, or zone depending on applied filters.
๐บ๏ธNew OpenStreetMap transmission lines and substation map layers
There are two new layers available in the Lens Power layer library:
OSM Transmission lines
OSM Substations
Which show global coverage of substation information and transmission line information sourced from OpenStreetMap.
June 2022
๐๏ธ Download a consolidated asset report
When performing a multi-asset valuation, a single Excel workbook can be downloaded which contains the economic metrics and annual cash flow data for each asset in the valuation. This saves time by gathering all of the data into a single download for further analysis, without needing to download the calc file report for each asset individually.
๐ Further reading: Compare the economics of multiple power assets
๐พ ๐คSave and share Views
It is now possible to save Views in Lens Power, allowing you to share a view with a colleague or return to a certain set of filters and workflow settings at a later time.
Save your applied filters, workflow selection, and valuation settings to a 'View'
Recall, edit, and managed saved Views across the Lens Platform
Share Views with other entitled Lens users in your organization.
๐Further reading: Save your favourite queries and How to share a saved view with colleagues
๐บ๏ธ New powerful mapping functionality
Our latest update to the map in Lens gives you the flexibility you need to analyse and visualise data across energy sectors.
Change the colour: make map layers and charts look the way you want
Improved filtering: reduce clutter on the map and only show assets relevant to you. Reorder layers or change their opacity to create a clean map for presentations.
Flexible visualisation options: show selected layers as symbols, polygons, points, pie clusters or heatmap. Choose if you want to colour them by resource group, energy source or other attributes.
View upstream data on the same map: if you subscribe to Lens Upstream, then you can now view the location of upstream blocks and fields, pipelines, and platforms on the same map as power plants.
Learn more about the new features and view examples here.
May 2022
๐ฐ Value multiple companies' power assets
Value multiple companies' power assets using your own economic assumptions to benchmark and compare results across economic and value metrics.
Key features:
analyze and evaluate potential acquisition targets
visualize combined economic and value metrics
benchmark companies by cash flow and production
rank top assets from all companies
export a single multi-company calc file to Excel to edit inputs and create custom scenarios
๐ Further reading: How to value the power assets of multiple companies
๐ Link to an asset or company from the valuation summary table
When viewing the valuation summary table from the multi-asset, company, or multi-company valuation dashboard, the names of the assets and companies are now hyper-linked.
Click the hyper-linked name of an asset or company to update your filters so that you are viewing the valuation for only the clicked asset or company."
๐ก Tip: You can use the back button in your browser to return to your previous set of applied filters.
โ Select assets or companies to add to or exclude from filters via the valuation summary table
The valuation summary table has been updated so that it is now possible to select assets or companies from the table (depending on the selected view) and either:
add the selected assets or companies to your current active filter set
exclude the selected assets or companies from your current active filter set
This allows you to quickly focus on the valuation and economics of particular assets or companies of interest (or exclude outliers) when performing multi asset or company valuations.
April 2022
๐ฐ Value a company's power assets
Quickly examine the Wood Mackenzie derived value of a company's power assets, including company level cash flow and other economic metrics.
Key features:
Visualize a combined cash flow, revenue, capital costs, and operating expenditures for all of the company's assets at the company, asset, or country level
Rank and query the company's top assets by value, IRR, payback period, and other economic metrics
Edit basic valuation parameters within the web interface, including: discount start year, discount rate, cashflow type, and tax schedule
Export a fully auditable and editable Excel calculation file to trace formulas and create custom scenarios
โน๏ธ Helpful Information: Only the company's assets which have valuation data will be included in the cash flow and economic metrics.
๐ Further reading: How to value a company's power assets
March 2022
๐ฐ Value offshore wind, onshore wind, and solar assets in the United States
You can now view Wood Mackenzie derived economic summaries and change basic valuation assumptions for a limited selection of offshore wind, onshore wind, and solar assets in the United States.
๐ Further reading: How to value an offshore wind asset
๐ฐ Filter to show which assets have a Valuation
Easily filter to the power assets which have valuation data with the 'has valuation data' filter in the Filter drawer.
This filter can be applied by the user at any time, and is automatically applied when in the Valuation workflow in order to update the map to show only the assets that are part of the valuation.
December 2021
๐ชHistorical performance for monitored assets
Evaluate historic power plant performance and nodal price volatility for ~300 monitored US assets covered by Wood Mackenzie's ground based sensor network.
Investors, developers, suppliers, and asset owners can analyze historic energy revenue flows to benchmark current and future investments and market activities. For example inspect how asset revenues for power plants in ERCOT were impacted by the February 2021 winter storm.
Case study: Texas winter storm
Our new performance data highlights the benefits of investing in equipment to ensure uptime of wind turbines during harsh weather events.
Comparing two Texan assets during the February 2021 winter storm, Lens Power revenue estimates are as follows:
Horse Hollow's merchant revenue was $3.8M for January versus $114M for February (x30 increase)
Turkey Track's merchant revenue was $690k for January versus $602k for February (-12.8% decrease)
Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center (follow link to see the asset in Lens) was able to produce during the winter storm with monitored production indicating a monthly capture price of $789/MWh.
By contrast Turkey Track Wind Energy was not able to produce when prices were highest during February with a monthly capture price of $37/MWh.
๐๐บ๏ธ New layers: Solar irradiance maps
โVisualize solar irradiance map layers alongside power asset data to better analyze site suitability for new investments.
Users can choose between "Global tilted irradiation at optimum angle" and "Global horizontal irradiation" layers depending on their use cases.
๐ธ๏ธ๐บ๏ธ New layers: Transmisson map layer
โVisualize transmission infrastructure in the United States alongside power plants to more effectively screen individual development sites.
November 2021
๐ฐ๐ Benchmark the value of multiple offshore wind assets
Compare the value of multiple offshore wind assets against each other to find the highest value projects with the best economic metrics.
Filter to a group of specific offshore wind assets or a desired location, and select the 'Valuation' workflow in order to compare metrics such as remaining PV, IRR, and payback period.
๐ฅ Watch the video below for a discussion on ENI's recent acquistion of a 20% stake in Dogger Bank C, including a look at the multi-asset valuation workflow
๐ Further reading: Compare the economics of multiple power assets
October 2021
โ๏ธ๐ฐ Sensitivity analysis for wind valuations
Perform sensitivity analysis by flexing price, production, and capex/opex sensitivities to understand the impact on asset level economics.
Within a valuation select 'Edit Assumptions' > 'Sensitivities' and then apply any % adjustment to price, production or costs. Apply those changes to understand the economic impact of those sensitivities.
๐ Further reading: How to perform sensitivity analysis in a Lens Power Valuation
September 2021
๐ฐ Value European offshore wind assets
You can now view Wood Mackenzie derived economic summaries and change basic valuation assumptions for major offshore wind assets in Europe.
Key features:
View a full breakdown of levered or unlevered economic metrics including NPV, IRR, project level LCOE, and payback period.
Visualize cashflow, revenue, capital costs, and operating expenditures over the life of the project
Edit basic valuation parameters within the web interface, including: discount start year, discount rate, cashflow type, and tax schedule
Export a fully auditable and editable Excel calculation file to trace formulas and create custom scenarios
๐ Further reading: How to value an offshore wind asset
๐บ๏ธ New basemap and layers: Bathymetry & Wind speeds ๐
โInspect site locations and physical characteristics with our new map features. For example, the bathymetry basemap can be used to assess water depths in planned offshore developments.
Whilst, the wind speed layers are helpful for understanding mean wind speeds at various heights.
Further reading: Using the map to interrogate and select data
๐ฒ๐ Zonal Marginal Price Forecasts
Need help with forward-looking revenue estimates or price volatility analysis? Zonal marginal price forecasts to 2050 are now available in Lens Power.
Access marginal price data using the 'Prices' section in Lens Power.
๐ก Tip: filter to a country (e.g. United States, China) to view prices at the market level. Filter to a market (e.g. ERCOT or South China), to access prices at the zonal level.
๐ฒ๐ญ Capture Price Forecast
Understand the covariance risk associated with the buildout of new generation capacity in a given market using our new capture price forecast.
Capture price forecasts are the expected, generation-weighted, marginal price in a given power market. In Lens, these can be split by resource group to understand the long-term power price implications from changes in a country's overall power mix.
For example, in Belgium the continuous deployment of offshore wind resources will lower $/MWh capture prices over the next decade meaning each new offshore facility can expect lower merchant revenue than in previous years. As a result, dispatchable gas power plants will increasingly shift to fill the generation gaps representing a smaller overall volume of supply, but at a higher price point per MWh.
August 2021
๐ Identify future power trends with supply-demand balances in Lens Power
Use our new supply-demand market forecasts to understand long term power market fundamentals such as: load growth, supply mix and retirals at the market & resource level.
๐ Compare the cost of power supply in different markets using LCOE benchmarking
Need to understand cost of supply in multiple markets? Our Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) section helps you compare renewable technologies and conventional sources across both time and geographic dimensions. Cost category breakdowns help demystify the top line LCOE figures.