Glossary
A
A time-weighted average across the scenario timeframe. It is calculated by summing the price for every interval and dividing it by the total number of intervals.
The price at a particular interval multiplied by the generation or the load (demand) at that interval for a specific object. These values are summed and then divided by the total volume across the entire scenario timeframe.
The proportion of time a plant is available to operate during a scenario timeframe. It is calculated by dividing the capacity available over a period by the total potential capacity. For example, a plant on maintenance for 2 days out of 10 would have 80% availability. A plant is considered available if it has a bid and is not on outage.
A polynomial curve representing the cost to generate energy at different capacity levels. In the database, this corresponds to SRMC0 (100%), SRMC1 (80%), SRMC2 (60%), and SRMC3 (40%) capacity values. Values are interpolated for intermediate capacity levels.
Auxiliary losses represent the energy consumed by the internal equipment of a power station, such as pumps and cooling fans. These losses are generally zero for most units but are typically set at 7% for coal-fired stations, meaning the send-out power to the grid is 7% less than the total power generated.
A panel in the iPool Suite Files Downloader that combines Price Aggregation and Generation Aggregation in a single view. Price Aggregation appears on the left and Generation Aggregation on the right.
The Microsoft Access database format used by iPool 26.x and earlier. The iPool Suite engine cannot open it: a run that points to an .mdb stops with the message 'a legacy .mdb cannot be opened by the headless engine'. Convert it to .db; an older iPool can keep using the .mdb as long as both files stay side by side in DirDB.
The licensed iPool Suite modules, listed when your license is validated and under Settings → License with their expiry dates. A banner warns you when the license or a module has 30 days or less remaining. Tabs for modules you are not licensed for, such as Vantage Forecast, are not shown.
A Bid Manager page that builds typical bids from historical .bidx files for one calendar day type (WORKDAY, SAT or SUN), with optional available-capacity thresholds per fuel type, and saves them under the name you enter, for example WD.bidx. The command-line version is bidmanager-aggregator.exe, which replaces iBidAgg; it reads from DirBid and writes to DirSub.
The progress log at the bottom of the Files Downloader. It shows a progress bar and a timestamped line for each file (downloaded, skipped or failed), with Pause, Cancel and Export log buttons.
Two price file types under Other Market Files in the Files Downloader: AP (Indicative Administered Prices) and iemap (Indicative Energy Modified AP). Price Aggregation turns either of them into regional mean-price CSV files for iPool.
B
A model run that uses historical data to test how well a forecasting method would have predicted past outcomes.
A chart view available in Dashboard (shown there as Bid Stack) and Bid Manager that displays generator bids arranged by price, showing the merit order and how generation capacity is stacked by bid price at each dispatch interval.
.bid is the old binary bid file format of iPool 26.x and earlier and of the old bid tools iYBidWESM and iBidAgg. .bidx is the SQLite bid file format of iPool Suite, produced by the Bid Manager Generator (one YYYYMMDD_F.bidx file per day) and Aggregator; the engine refuses binary bid files, and renaming them is not enough. Convert .bid files with Bid Manager → Convert Legacy .bid; when a command names X.bid, the engine uses X.bidx if it exists.
Three further databases you choose in the Database Initializer: the bid database (iBidWESM.db, engine option -ibdb) stores bidding information, the flow database (iFloWESM.db, -ifdb) holds transmission network and power flow information, and the scenario database (iScen.db, -isdb) stores user-created scenarios.
A tab of the Bid Stack viewer for a Region, Site or Unit that shows the offers as a table for one day: a grid of price bands (10 down to 1) by interval for each unit. Show Prices / Show MW switches between prices and quantities, and the Energy | Reserve switch shows reserve offers instead. Right-click a unit's table and choose Open bids in Bid Manager to edit its bids.
The scenario created at the top of a batch file with -new BASE … -s -x, from which the other scenarios are made with -o BASE -s followed by their ID. Keep one BASE scenario at the top of each batch file, as in the sample batch files.
A Windows script that runs the iPool engine and the Bid Manager programs with command-line options, typically one scenario per line. Scenario Studio can import batch files with Load ▾ and write one for the current sequence with Batch. Batch files from older iPool versions should be converted with Convert old batch file.
The Scenario Studio dialog that opens when you import batch files with Load ▾ → Load file, Load several batch files or Paste batch text. It lists each scenario and every line that was skipped or not imported, with the reason; unknown flags block Import until you fix them. Lines that only choose databases, calls of other batch files and shared variables such as %COMMON% are not imported.
The Scenario Studio tool (Load ▾ → Convert old batch file) that updates an old batch file for iPool Suite: program names, PATH, .mdb to .db, .bid to .bidx, history file names and report level. With the tick box Also convert the .bid and .mdb files it uses, it also converts the databases and bid files the batch file names. The Changes and Side by side tabs show what will change before you click Save converted or Convert and load.
A setting in the Bids panel of the Scenario Editor with three modes: auto (Historical Bid Loading, the automatic bids of -ab), custom (Custom Bid Loading of bid files made with Bid Manager) and bidset (a Bid Set File). A Retain Loaded Bids checkbox sits alongside.
A CSV file that lists bid files to load together, so several bids are applied in one step. Load it with the bidset mode of the Bids panel or the engine option -bset. A common example maps calendar day types to typical bid files, such as TypBids.csv with the lines WORKDAY,WD.bidx, SAT,SAT.bidx and SUN,SUN.bidx.
The engine option -bt names the calendar time period for the bid file that follows it, for example -bt WORKDAY -bf WD.bidx; write -bt before its -bf. When several apply to a day, a specific date wins, then DEF_PRIORITY (which overwrites any existing bid), then a day of the week (MON to SUN), then a day category such as WORKDAY or WEEKEND, and finally DEFAULT as the fallback.
The iPool Suite tab for creating, converting, viewing and editing the .bidx bid files that iPool uses as market-offer input. Its pages are Generator, Aggregator, Viewer / Editor, Intelligent Bidding, Convert Legacy .bid and Convert Legacy .ibd. It replaces the old bid tools iBidAgg, iYBidWESM and iBidEzy.
One price and quantity pair in a unit's bid: the quantity the unit offers at that price. In the Bid Manager Viewer / Editor each row of the bid stack is a band, and Update checks that each unit's prices are strictly ascending. The Dashboard Bid Table shows bands 10 down to 1.
C
A measure of actual energy generated compared to the potential maximum energy that could have been produced if the plant ran at full capacity for the entire period. It is calculated as total energy generated divided by (Installed Capacity x Total Time Period). Always calculated across the whole scenario time period.
The annual money paid to a bank to pay off debt for the installation of a power station. In reports, this annual figure is prorated based on the number of days in the simulation scenario. Stored in the database as Philippine Pesos per kilowatt per year.
The cost of CO2 emissions calculated by multiplying the CO2 emission intensity factor by the energy generated and then by the carbon price (tax) defined in the scenario parameters. Typically around $25 per ton depending on carbon trading.
A database field representing the carbon emission intensity factor for a site. This value is multiplied by the energy generated and the carbon price to calculate carbon costs.
One of four modes in the Update Database tool. It reads a Historical Database Error Report and, for each row whose Remarks say capacity upgrade, writes the MaxGen value to that unit's maximum capacity (Units.MwMax). No rows are added.
The engine option that writes the full set of CSV result files as well as the .isdb, the same as the Output format All CSV + .isdb. Add it to a command line when your scripts need files such as TraceGrp.csv, TraceUnt.csv or BidUnit.csv.
The bar between the Viewer Bar and the chart in Dashboard. It holds the object label, viewer-specific controls, Compare, the date picker, Previous and Next, the Daily / Weekly / Monthly / All period selector, the chart buttons, Notes, Events, Export, Chart settings and Panels ▾. Its contents change with the selected object and viewer.
A second chart panel in Dashboard, opened from Panels ▾ or with a Two charts layout. Right-click a viewer chip (or press Shift+Enter on it) to choose what Chart 2 shows; a small 2 badge marks that viewer. Table viewers such as Summary and Series Summary cannot be shown in Chart 2.
A Dashboard viewer that shows the same object across several scenarios. Add scenarios with the + buttons in the Scenarios tree; up to 5 are shown next to the main scenario by default (Settings → Dashboard → Scenarios in Comparison). Besides the Chart tab it has Table, What changed and Distribution tabs.
A Chart Toolbar button that overlays several objects on the same chart. It is offered for DGP, Group DGP, Profiles, Reserve Price, Economics, Link View and Flow Duration Curve; for most of these you drag objects from the tree onto the chart. It is different from the Comparison viewer, which compares scenarios.
The Export button in the Dashboard Chart Toolbar. It downloads the chart as PNG, JPEG, PDF or SVG, copies it to the clipboard, downloads its data as CSV or XLSX, adds it to a report pack or prints it. PDF export works offline, and Export options… sets the size, resolution, titles and other details.
The name of the scenario-building module in Apollo and older iPool versions. In iPool Suite it is the Scenario Studio tab.
The list on the left of Scenario Studio of the scenarios (commands) to run, grouped as Running Sequence, Queued and Completed. Add a scenario with + Add command, which opens the template picker, and click an item to edit it in the Scenario Editor. Run Sequence runs the queue, and Save or Batch keeps it as a file.
The new batch file the batch file converter saves next to the old one, for example RunHST_converted.bat, together with RunHST_converted_report.txt, which lists what was changed and the lines you need to check yourself. The original file is never changed, and if the names are taken the files are called _converted_2, _converted_3 and so on. Read the report and delete any call DefInit.bat line before you run it.
A file in the iPool Suite program folder for converting many old batch files at once: select them in Windows Explorer and drag them onto Convert-OldBatch.bat. You get the same _converted.bat and report files as with Convert old batch file. From the command line, use iPoolSuite.exe --convert-bat followed by the file names.
A Bid Manager page that converts old binary .bid files, made by older iPool versions, iYBidWESM or iBidAgg, to .bidx. Choose Single file or Whole folder, the input and the output, and click Convert; the original .bid is kept and a .bidx of the same name in the output folder is replaced. The command-line version is bidmanager-converter.exe.
A Bid Manager page that converts old .ibd dynamic bid rule files to .ibdx. Choose Single file or Folder, the Market (WESM or AEMO) of the system that made the files and the Output folder (DirBid by default), click Convert and read the result for each file. The command-line version is iPoolSuite.exe -ibd2ibdx.
Supply or demand bids set by hand for particular units, often for battery charging and discharging strategies or unit-specific overrides. A supply bid makes a unit discharge when the market price is above the bid price; a demand bid makes a storage unit charge when the price is below it.
A button at the lower right of Scenario Studio that opens the New Event dialog, where you append to an existing event file, merge existing event files, or make a new event file.
A Database Editor tool that converts Microsoft Access databases (.mdb or .accdb) to SQLite .db, either Single file or Multiple files (Whole folder); a third mode, Regional to Zonal, restructures a regional database. Each output keeps its name with the .db extension, and an existing .db of the same name is replaced. Outside the app, iPoolSuite.exe -updatedb -conv converts one .mdb (with -o) or every .mdb in DirDB.
The Registered Capacity Generation file published by IEMOP, downloaded with the Files Downloader (type capeg, saved to a CAPEG folder). The Generation Files mode of Update Database reads it, with the MNM GenList, to update unit capacities.
D
The total load or demand for a region or specific load object (like pumped storage) for the duration of the scenario timeframe.
This stands for Dispatchable Unit ID and represents the official code used for a resource name within the system database.
A chart view in Dashboard that displays Demand, Generation, and Price together on a single chart, letting you visualise all three metrics for a selected object at once.
The configuration file C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv that holds your folder and database settings, one Key,Value pair per line. iPool Suite, the engine and the Bid Manager programs all read it, and the Directory Initializer in Scenario Studio writes it. A Defaults.csv from an iPool version before iPool Suite needs a DirSub line before you use it.
The Defaults.csv setting for the bid submission folder: the folder where Bid Manager writes the bid files it makes (the aggregator's -s NAME is saved as NAME.bidx there). Set it to the same folder as DirBid; if DirSub is missing, DirBid is used instead. Defaults.csv files from before iPool Suite have no DirSub line, and running the Directory Initializer over such a file makes iPool Suite crash.
The Defaults.csv setting for the bid file folder, where iPool looks for Historical, Typical, Custom and Dynamic bid files. The Bid Manager aggregator reads its input from it, and DirSub should point to the same folder. The engine option -bdir sets both DirBid and DirSub.
The Defaults.csv setting for the database folder, which holds the system, time periods, bid, flow and scenario databases; PoolDB and TimeDB name files in it. Put converted .db files here. If you still run an older iPool, keep its .mdb files beside the .db files in the same DirDB folder.
The Defaults.csv setting for the folder that the Bid Manager Generator reads market bid files from. Point it to your WESM FILES\RTDOE folder (energy bid offers).
The Defaults.csv setting for the Historical Store folder. You do not need to add it: by default the Historical Store is C:\iEnergy\Historical Store. To use another local folder, choose it under Settings → Historical Store → Change…, which saves DirHistStore for you; the change takes effect after a restart, and existing files are not moved.
A Scenario Studio tool, opened from the bottom bar, that sets the folders in C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv: from a Working Folder, from an uploaded Defaults.csv, or folder by folder with Change. It is the graphical counterpart of editing Defaults.csv and running DefInit.bat. Click Next: Database Initializer to choose the databases.
The second step of the Directory Initializer in Scenario Studio, where you choose the System, Time Periods, Bid, Flow and Scenario databases and click Run. It lists only .db files.
A start-up batch file used by older iPool versions: it copied a Defaults.csv, chose the .mdb databases and set 5-minute dispatch. iPool Suite does not use it, because Defaults.csv and the Directory Initializer do its job. Delete the call DefInit.bat line from converted batch files, but keep the original for batch files you still run with an older iPool.
.ibd is the old binary format of dynamic (intelligent) bidding rule files. The iPool Suite engine's dynamic bidding option (-ib) reads only .ibdx (SQLite) or CSV rule files, so convert .ibd files with Bid Manager → Convert Legacy .ibd or iPoolSuite.exe -ibd2ibdx. The original .ibd files are kept.
One time slot of the market dispatch: 5 minutes (288 per day) or one hour (24 per day). The 5mnDisp setting in Defaults.csv, or -5mnDisp on the command line, chooses 5-minute (1) or hourly (0) dispatch.
The panels that make up the Dashboard area around the chart, such as Chart, Chart 2, Statistics, Tooltip, Readout, Object Summary and Generation Mix. Drag a panel's tab to move it, drag the borders between panels to resize them, and use Panels ▾ in the Chart Toolbar to open or close panels.
The iPool Suite tab for opening and editing SQLite databases (.db, .sqlite, .sqlite3), mainly the system database. A tree on the left follows the market hierarchy (Pool, Regions, Sites, Units and so on) and the main grid edits table rows like a spreadsheet. Save writes straight to the open file, so use Save As first if you want to keep the original.
A group of five day-ahead projection file types in the Files Downloader: DAP (Prices and Schedules), DAPHS (HVDC Schedules), DAPOPRSVSUMM (Regional Reserve Prices), DAPOS (Outage Schedules) and DAPHL (HVDC Limits). Each is saved to a folder named after its type.
Also known as Intelligent Bidding. See Intelligent Bidding (Dynamic Bidding) in this glossary for full details.
E
The scenario file format of older iPool versions. It is obsolete and cannot be converted; to get results for an old scenario, run it again in iPool Suite.
A Dashboard viewer for Site objects that charts Revenue, Cost and Profit over time. Its Breakdown tab gives a sortable table per station (generation, price, revenue, cost, profit and margin) and its Fuel Type tab shows revenue per fuel type.
The iPool Suite tab for working with event files and outage analysis. It has three sub-tabs: Event Builder, Maintenance Scheduler and Reserve Margin Chart.
A CSV file, usually named Ev_ followed by a name and kept in the events folder (DirEvt), that changes system objects for a set time during a run without changing the database, for example unit outages, link limits or capacity changes. Each row has an EID, Type, object ID (DUID), StartTime, EndTime, Property and Capacity. Load it with -e on the command line or under Input Files in the Scenario Editor.
A one-column CSV file that lists event file names, so that several event files are applied in the same run. Load it with -eset on the command line or as the Event Set File under Input Files in the Scenario Editor.
An Event Hub sub-tab for event files. Its Table view creates and edits events row by row, using the object types and properties of the system database, and its read-only Gantt Chart view shows outage timelines that you can export to PDF, PNG or JPEG.
F
An estimate of future electricity price, demand or generation based on historical data, trends, and predictive models.
Annual costs for maintaining the plant that do not change based on energy production. Like capital charges, these are prorated for the scenario period. This is a site-level cost.
Calculated by multiplying the amount of energy produced by the coal consumption rate (tons per MW). The coal consumption is a function of the megawatt output.
A chart view in Dashboard for Link objects that plots the distribution of power flows over time, ranked from highest to lowest. It shows how often a transmission link operates at each capacity level throughout the scenario period.
A Dashboard viewer that shows generation by fuel type as a stacked chart, with Demand and Price. It is offered for Pool, Region and Zone objects and is the default viewer for a Region.
The iPool Suite tab that downloads WESM market data files from the IEMOP public website, for dates from 13 August 2024 onwards, and processes them for iPool. Its operation rail offers Manual Download, Scheduled Download and Aggregation, plus Weather for licensed users, and progress appears in the Activity Dock.
G
The calculated price at the generator site. It is derived by taking the regional price and multiplying it by the Marginal Loss Factor (MLF) of that particular site.
The total energy produced by a unit or site during the scenario timeframe.
One of four modes in the Update Database tool. It reconciles a regional database with an MNM GenList file and one or more CAPEG files: it can refresh unit names, raise unit capacities, add new units, sites and portfolio entries, and recompute site capacities. Options include automatically renaming site IDs and creating load-twin entries for battery and pumped-hydro sites; running it again on the same files can make further changes.
A Bid Manager page that builds historical bids from raw WESM RTDOE (energy offers) and RTDOR (reserve offers) files: set the start date and number of days, check the output path and the loaded database, and click Create. It writes one YYYYMMDD_F.bidx file per day. The command-line version is bidmanager-generator.exe, which replaces iYBidWESM.
H
The process of importing and running past market data to recreate actual market conditions for a specific period, done as a history run. It gives a baseline to compare with simulation results and forecasts, and shows database issues, missing inputs, outages and out-of-merit conditions in the Historical Database Error Report.
iPool Suite's store of historical data and of the historical scenarios exported from it, kept in C:\iEnergy\Historical Store by default and shared by installed and portable copies. In the desktop app you reach it from the Historical Store section of the Dashboard Scenarios tab; change its folder under Settings → Historical Store.
The start screen of iPool Suite. It shows the version at the top, Get started actions such as New Scenario and Open Scenario, the Learn iPool cards that open getting-started pages, your recent work, and the What's new panel, where View details lists the changes in the current version.
The report of problems that a historical run found when it checked generation and market data against the system database, such as capacity upgrades, units missing in the database, out-of-merit units and line outages. It is saved as HistDBErr.csv in the scenario folder and shown in Dashboard on the Historical & Database sub-tab of the Summary viewer, one table per error type. Use it to update the system database before backcasting.
A scenario run with the engine option -hist that recreates a past period from historical market data (a historical load), for example a scenario named HST. Besides results, it writes history input files named after the scenario, such as Dem_HST.csv and Gen_HST.csv, which a backcast then reads, and the Historical Database Error Report.
Demand and generation input files named after the scenario that made them: Dem_ID and DemHr_ID in the demand folder, Gen_ID and GenHr_ID in the generation folder, and Ev_ID in the events folder. They replace the old names Demand_, DemandHr_, MRGCFac_ and MRHCFac_, which the engine no longer writes; do not reuse the old prefixes for files of your own.
Bids rebuilt from the offers actually submitted in a past period, taken from WESM RTDOE (energy) and RTDOR (reserve) files by the Bid Manager Generator. Use them for historical load and backcast runs, where results are compared with actual outcomes.
I
The sum of the maximum capacity ratings (MW Max) for all units or stations operating in a given year. This information is pulled from the system database.
The Windows desktop application that replaces the separate iPool and Apollo programs from version 1.0.0. It is started with iPoolSuite.exe and has the tabs Dashboard, Scenario Studio, Files Downloader, Bid Manager, Event Hub, Database Editor and, when licensed, Vantage Forecast.
The simulation engine that runs scenarios. It is installed in the iPool Suite program folder next to iPoolSuite.exe, reads only SQLite .db databases and never opens a window. Scenario Studio runs it for you, and your batch files can call it directly.
The single installer for iPool Suite 1.0.0. It contains everything, including the iPool engine, the license validator and the Bid Manager and Event Hub engines, so you no longer need a separate update installer. For silent or IT-managed installs, an MSI package (iPool-Installer.msi with iPool-SampleData.msi) is available from iEnergy Support.
The installer page where you choose who gets iPool Suite. Only for me needs no administrator rights and installs into %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\iPool, for your Windows account only. Anyone who uses this computer (all users) needs administrator rights and installs into C:\Program Files\iPool for every account.
A shareable code or .isnap file that holds a Dashboard view together with its numbers, for colleagues who do not have the run. Create one with Views ▾ → Share as iSnap; Open iSnap opens one you received as a tab in the Scenario Tab Bar. Your name from Settings → Personalization is shown on iSnaps you share.
The file in the iPool folder of the portable version that makes the copy portable. If it is deleted or renamed, iPool Suite behaves like an installed copy and keeps its settings in your Windows user profile.
An optional file (C:\ProgramData\iPool\iPool.ini) through which an installed iPool Suite can find Defaults.csv when C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv is not there. A portable copy reads it only if you choose so in Settings → Portable; Ignore iPool.ini is the default. iPool Suite only reads it and never changes it.
Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines, which publishes the WESM market data files such as RTD, DAP and WAP. The Files Downloader downloads them directly from the IEMOP public website; no login is required.
Bidding in which units change their bid quantities or prices during a run in response to system conditions, such as a storage level, forecast demand or wind generation. Rules combine Conditions, evaluated with fuzzy logic, and Actions, and the engine loads them with -ib from an .ibdx or CSV rule file. In iPool Suite you work with the rules on the Intelligent Bidding page of Bid Manager (Actions and Conditions Library sub-tabs).
L
The Real-Time Dispatch (RTD) price used in historical datasets. In the LESA system, it is called LMP; in AMO, it is referred to as the Regional Reference Price (RRP).
A measure of the 'flatness' or 'peakiness' of the generation or demand profile. It is the area under the actual generation curve (numerator) divided by a square area based on the maximum recorded generation point (denominator). A value of 100% means the profile is perfectly flat. A low load factor indicates a peaky plant; a high load factor indicates flat generation.
Load-twin Sites and Units created automatically by the Generation Files update mode when the 'Create Twins (BATT and PUMP)' option is enabled. They represent the charging load side of battery storage and pumped-hydro units, allowing iPool to model both the generating and consuming behaviour of these assets.
The window that opens a few seconds after start-up when iPool Suite finds no valid license. Paste your key on the Enter License Key tab or select your .lic or .txt file on the Upload License File tab, click Validate License, then check the details and click Continue to Application. If Apollo was licensed on the computer and the license is still valid, iPool Suite uses it and does not ask.
A saved arrangement of the Dashboard dock panels, chosen from Panels ▾. The built-in layouts are Analysis (the default), Presenting, Two charts — side by side and Two charts — stacked. Save current layout… keeps up to 5 layouts of your own, and Reset layout returns to the default.
Separate bid programs of iPool 26.x and earlier. In iPool Suite, iYBidWESM is replaced by bidmanager-generator.exe and iBidAgg by bidmanager-aggregator.exe, with the same options. iBidEzy has no direct replacement: the batch file converter turns its lines into comments so you can redo that step in Bid Manager.
M
The rating of the actual generating machine. This is the capacity at the terminal of the generating set before internal loads are subtracted. The effective sent out capacity is typically lower (e.g., a 350 MW unit may have 321 MW sent out).
A factor used to adjust regional prices to site-specific prices. When calculating the Generator Weighted Average Price (GWAP), the regional price is multiplied by the MLF of that particular site.
MW Max represents the maximum capacity or size of a unit, typically sourced from the CAPEG file.
MW Min refers to the minimum load, which is usually set to zero for most units except for coal-fired stations, where a rule of thumb of 30% to 40% of the maximum capacity is applied.
MLF is a value found in the RTD file, where it is often referred to simply as the loss factor. It represents the historical marginal loss associated with the unit and is automatically populated when reading historical data in the system.
An Event Hub sub-tab that computes a 365-day maintenance schedule for generating units from a demand file covering at least 365 days, a SysWESM database and an event file, while respecting the daily available reserve. Its methods are Optimised (Demand), Optimised (Net Demand) and Optimised (Legacy). The schedule and daily reserve figures can be saved to DirEvt, for example as Ev_MS_name.csv.
The Updates on the Market Network Model file from IEMOP (type MNM in the Files Downloader), listing each resource with its region, station and trading participant. The Generation Files mode of Update Database reads it to add and update units and sites.
A Files Downloader operation where you select file types, a From and To date and a destination folder, then click Start Download. Files are sorted into sub-folders by type, files that already exist are skipped, and failed files are retried twice before they are listed in a failure report in the destination folder.
A Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader that identifies the marginal unit setting the market price. It is stored in the MP folder.
One of four modes in the Update Database tool. It reads Sites, Units, and Storages (USS) data from CSV or XLSX files to update the database manually. The internal key for this mode is add-uss.
N
The difference between generation and demand. A positive value indicates the region is exporting energy, while a negative value indicates it is importing. Displayed as generation minus demand.
A count of every instance a unit goes on an outage and then returns to service. Each time it goes offline and comes back online counts as one start.
A chart view in Dashboard showing net load — the total system demand minus variable renewable generation. It identifies the residual load that must be met by dispatchable generators.
O
Revenue streams that are not part of the energy market, such as contract-based revenues.
A Scenario Studio setting (Scenario Settings panel, Output & reporting) that decides which result files a run writes: Default (Essential CSV + .isdb), All CSV + .isdb, or All CSV only. Choose All CSV + .isdb when Excel links or your own scripts read detailed files such as TraceGrp.csv. Set as default saves the choice for new scenarios.
The Objects tab of the Dashboard left panel, where you browse the objects of the loaded scenario under branches such as Pool, Links, Groups, Portfolios and Storages, plus FAVORITES and MY GROUPS. Clicking an object opens its default viewer. The tab is disabled until a scenario is loaded and while Series Summary is open.
P
The earnings a station receives from the energy market pool based on its generation. It is calculated by multiplying the volume-weighted price by the actual energy generated.
The financial summary calculated by adding up all costs (capital charge, fixed O&M, variable O&M, supply costs, carbon costs, startup costs) and comparing them to pool revenue. Some costs are site-level while others are unit-level.
These columns stand for Parent ID 2 and Parent ID 3, which are user-definable fields used for grouping and organizational purposes. PID2 is typically assigned to identify the owner of the unit, such as a specific company, while PID3 is generally used for custom groupings to help generate reports for specific sets of stations or regions.
A chart view in Dashboard that displays the typical daily shape of demand, generation, or price across the scenario period as a boxplot. Each point on the horizontal axis represents one hour of the day, showing the statistical spread of values across the matching days in the scenario.
iPool Suite supplied as a zip file (iPool-Portable.zip) that you extract to a writable folder whose path has no comma, and run from iPool\iPoolSuite.exe without installing. Settings, logs and crash reports are kept in a UserData folder inside the portable folder. Defaults.csv, the working folders and the Historical Store stay where the installed version keeps them.
The number of scenarios Dashboard keeps in memory so you can switch between them instantly, shown by the N/3 counter in the Scenario Tab Bar. The default is 3; change it in Settings → Dashboard → Preloaded scenarios (1 to 5, applied after a restart). Unloading a scenario only frees memory: its results are re-read from disk later, nothing is re-simulated.
R
The term used in AMO (Australian Market Operator) for the Locational Marginal Price. This is the RTD price for a region.
Rate of Change (ROC) refers to the ramp-up and ramp-down limits of a unit measured in megawatts per minute. Most units are set to zero, indicating no limit, but coal and CCGT units typically have specific limits between one and ten megawatts per minute which are often defined within their bids.
A Real-Time Dispatch (RTD) file type downloaded by the iPool Suite Files Downloader. RTDREG files contain regional summary data and are stored in the RTDREG folder.
A chart view in Dashboard showing reserve market prices for a region or zone. Reserve prices represent the cost of holding generation capacity available to respond to sudden changes in supply or demand.
The WESM reserve types in bids and results: Frequency Reserve (Fr), Regulation Up (Ru), Regulation Down (Rd) and Dispatchable Reserve (Dr). The Bid Manager Viewer / Editor and the Dashboard Bid Table can show the reserve offers for each product.
An Event Hub sub-tab that charts installed capacity, daily outage and maximum demand for each day and computes the net reserve margin. It reads a demand CSV from DirDem and an event or outage CSV from DirEvt, takes installed capacity from the SysWESM database, and counts the at-risk days whose margin falls below a safety threshold (21% of maximum demand by default).
A Convert Database mode that makes a zonal-format copy of a regional SQLite database. The output is named with a Z added (for example SysWESM2606Z.db) and gets 14 zonal regions and 13 zonal links, with each site assigned to its zone. The source file is not changed.
The main Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader (selected by default). It holds unit generation, load demand, prices (LMP and SMP) and the marginal loss factor for each dispatch interval, and is stored in the RTD folder.
A Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader that holds the energy bid offers submitted by generating units. The Bid Manager Generator reads RTDOE files (DirYBid) to build historical bids; they appear on the IEMOP website about 7 days after the trading day.
A Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader that holds the reserve bid offers. The Bid Manager Generator reads RTDOR files together with RTDOE files to build historical bids.
A Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader that holds the HVDC link schedules (link flows). It is stored in the RTDHS folder.
A Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader that holds the reserve prices for each region. It is stored in the RTDOPRSVSUMM folder.
A Real-Time Dispatch file type downloaded by the Files Downloader that holds the reserve schedules. It is stored in the RTDRS folder.
One of four modes in the Update Database tool. It updates the database using Real-Time Dispatch (RTD) files.
S
A price metric that differs slightly from the LMP. While LMP represents the price for a whole region, the System Marginal Price (SMP) is specific to a particular node.
The energy that actually exits the power station gate and enters the transmission line. In plants like coal stations, a portion of the generated energy (roughly 7%) is used internally to power auxiliary equipment like pumps and fans; 'Sent Out' is the net energy after these internal loads are subtracted.
The cost to generate energy at different capacity levels, calculated using an average cost curve. In the database, this is represented by polynomial values (SRMC0, SRMC1, SRMC2, SRMC3) corresponding to costs at 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% capacity respectively. This is a unit-level cost.
The cost incurred to bring a unit back online after an outage. This cost is dependent on how many hours the unit was offline; iPool tracks offline hours and applies different costs (SEC5, SEC20, SEC50) for different durations. Primarily relevant for coal and CCGT plants due to expensive boiler heating.
Costs that are only applicable at the site level, not at individual units. These include Capital Charge, Fixed O&M, and Transmission Network Service Charge. When summed, these contribute to the total site cost.
This is the identifier for the specific station or location where a unit belongs. A single station can be associated with several different units, and the Site ID effectively shows where a specific unit is connected within the network.
More commonly referred to simply as Reserve. It utilizes a priority system known as SpinRes Priority, where a value of zero means the unit supplies no reserve, and higher numerical values indicate a higher priority for the unit to provide reserve capacity.
A file type downloaded by the iPool Suite Files Downloader from IEMOP market reports. SLD files are delivered as PDF documents showing the single-line electrical diagram for Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao, and are saved to the SLD folder.
A read-only browser panel in the iPool Suite Files Downloader, available only in the online (web) build. It shows WESM download files fetched to the server's shared folder, accessible by all users on the server. Useful for referencing WESM data in the Bid Manager without downloading a separate local copy.
Example scenarios, databases and a ready-made Defaults.csv that the installer puts in C:\iEnergy\WorkingFolder when Install sample data (recommended) is ticked. If you already have data, untick the box or answer No when asked to overwrite; answering Yes replaces your files and your C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv without making backups. The portable version has a separate download, iPool-Portable-SampleData.zip.
The main iPool input database, holding the market objects such as sites, units, links and storages and the system configuration. Its file name is user-defined, usually SysWESM followed by a date code (for example SysWESM2606.db). Choose it as System DB in the Database Initializer; it is PoolDB in Defaults.csv and -ipdb on the command line.
The database format that the iPool Suite engine reads. Convert old Microsoft Access .mdb databases to .db with Database Editor → Convert Database or iPoolSuite.exe -updatedb -conv; each converted file keeps its name with the .db extension. The Database Editor also opens .sqlite and .sqlite3 files.
The file in each scenario folder where iPool Suite stores the scenario's results; Dashboard reads it. Because results are stored there, many detailed CSV files are no longer written by default, while Prices.csv, Summary.csv, ScenInfo.csv and SummLink.csv still are. Do not confuse it with the -isdb engine option, which names the scenario database (iScen.db).
The bar below the Top Bar in Dashboard where each open scenario has its own tab, like browser tabs. It also holds the scenarios folder button, Home, Back and Forward, Find anything (Ctrl+P), the counter of scenarios held in memory and the Series Summary button. A badge on each tab shows the scenario type (HIST, BCAH or SIMU).
The Scenarios tab of the Dashboard left panel, listing the scenarios in your scenarios folder. Click a row to load a scenario, click its ≡ button to load only its Summary, or right-click it for options such as Scenario info, Scenario Check and Load Historical DB Report. You can group scenarios into folders of your own with New Folder.
The type badge on each scenario in the Dashboard Scenarios tree and Scenario Tab Bar: HIST (amber) for a historical run, BCAH (teal) for a backcast run and SIMU (blue) for all other scenarios. If more than one applies, HIST takes priority over BCAH, which takes priority over SIMU.
The Dashboard viewer that gives a table-based overview of a loaded scenario: Scenario Info followed by one summary table per object type, with no chart. Chips show or hide tables and the Price & Energy, Operation and Cost column groups, and each table has Export CSV and Copy. Its sub-tabs are Summary, Historical & Database, Events, Maintenance & Outages and Collate Data.
A Dashboard feature that compares the summary results of many scenarios side by side, one row per scenario, without loading each one. Open it with the Series Summary button in the Scenario Tab Bar, choose a folder of scenarios or drag scenarios in, tick the data types (Pool, Zonal, Regional, Fuel Type, Portfolio, Storage, Comparative) and click Analyze.
A Dashboard dock panel with cards of figures for the period on screen, calculated from the chart data. The cards depend on the viewer; click a card to see its detail, such as Min, Max, Average and Count, in the Readout panel.
Dashboard views you keep in the Views ▾ menu with Save current view (up to 20) and reopen from My saved views. Present saved views (Ctrl+Shift+P) shows them full screen with larger text, and the arrow keys step through them. Copy current view gives a code that a colleague with the same run can paste in Open view from code.
A Dashboard check of an open scenario's files for problems. Run it from the Scenario Check card in the Summary viewer (Scenario Check — Show) or from the scenario's right-click menu in the Scenarios tree. A Scenario Check button in the Scenario Tab Bar can be turned on in Settings → Dashboard.
The iPool Suite tab where you build, edit and run scenarios without writing batch files; in Apollo it was the Command Module. It has the Command Sequence on the left, the Scenario Editor panels, and a bottom bar with Load, Save, Batch, Directory Initializer, Create Event, Run Sequence and CLI Output.
A ready-made scenario configuration that you add to the Command Sequence from the template picker. Templates are grouped as Default Templates, Custom Templates (your own, saved with Save as Template) and Edit Scenario (existing scenarios in the working folder that you can change and run again).
The panels on the right of Scenario Studio where you set the parameters of the selected sequence item. A sidebar lists nine sections: Scenario Settings, Input Files, Bids, Scaling Options, Simulation Rules, Optimization, Market Modeling, Diagnostics and Demand Forecasting. A row of status dots above the panel shows whether each section is ready to run.
The name of a scenario, which is also the name of its folder. Scenario Studio checks each new ID: no spaces (use _ or -), none of the characters \ / : * ? " < > |, at most 100 characters, not ending with a dot, not a Windows reserved name such as CON or NUL, and unique ignoring case. Existing scenarios that break these rules still load and run.
A Files Downloader operation that downloads new market data automatically, every hour or daily at a set time, covering the last 1, 2, 3 or 7 days up to yesterday. The scheduler runs only while iPool Suite is open; if it was enabled when you closed the app, it starts again at the next launch.
T
An annual fee paid for the use of the transmission network. This is a site-level fixed cost that is prorated based on the scenario duration.
The database that defines market calendars, dispatch intervals, weekdays, holidays and simulation timing, including the calendar day types such as WORKDAY, SAT and SUN used with -bt. It is TimeDB in Defaults.csv and -tpdb on the command line.
Bid profiles aggregated from historical bids for a calendar day type, such as WORKDAY, SAT or SUN, made with the Bid Manager Aggregator. Use them for forecasting, planning and scenario studies that need representative rather than exact historical bids; a look-back window of at least 7 days is recommended.
U
Costs calculated at the individual unit level, such as Supply Cost (SRMC). These are aggregated to the site level by summing all unit costs.
A Database Editor tool that applies bulk updates to the open database in one of four modes: Manual (add or update units, sites and storages from Units.csv, Sites.csv and Stors.csv), Capacity Upgrade, Generation Files, and RTD Files. Update writes straight to the database and cannot be undone with Undo, so save your edits first.
V
Maintenance costs that are proportionate to the amount of energy produced (Pesos per MWh sent out). This covers consumables used for maintaining the plant, such as cleaning or replacing parts like ball bearings.
The iPool Suite tab that connects to the iEnergy Gateway and downloads forecast files for iPool scenarios: demand forecasts, VRE forecasts (MHCF) and the latest SysWESM database. It appears only when your license includes the Vantage module; when the module is not licensed or has expired, the tab is hidden but downloaded files are not deleted.
The bar below the Scenario Tab Bar in Dashboard with one chip per viewer offered for the selected object, such as Summary, Bid Stack, Fuel Stack, Net Load, DGP or Comparison. Dimmed chips are viewers the scenario has no data for, chips that do not fit are listed in the Views ▾ menu, and right-clicking a chip shows that viewer in Chart 2.
A Bid Manager page where you open a .bidx file, pick a region, site or unit in the tree, and view or edit its bids as a bid stack: a grid with one row per band and one column per dispatch interval. An Energy / Reserve toggle switches between energy and reserve offers. Save writes the edits to the open file, and Save As writes them to a new file.
Must-Have Capacity Factor forecasts for VRE (solar and wind) stations, at day-ahead and week-ahead horizons, downloaded from the iEnergy Gateway in the Vantage Forecast tab.
W
Hypothetical cases used to explore the impact of different assumptions or conditions on demand, generation, or system performance.
The project folder that holds the sub-folders for one study, such as databases, demands, generations, bids, events, scenarios and reports (for example C:\IENERGY\WESM2606). In the Directory Initializer, type or browse to a Working Folder and click Apply to fill the folder fields with its sub-folders. The sample data uses C:\iEnergy\WorkingFolder.
Wholesale Electricity Spot Market: the Philippine electricity market that iPool models. Its market data is published by IEMOP and downloaded into iPool Suite with the Files Downloader.
The folder of downloaded WESM market data, for example C:\IENERGY\WESM FILES, with one sub-folder per file type such as RTD, RTDOE and RTDOR. Historical load runs and the Bid Manager Generator read from it; DirHst and DirYBid in Defaults.csv point into it.
A group of five week-ahead projection file types in the Files Downloader: WAP (Prices and Schedules), WAPHS (HVDC Schedules), WAPOPRSVSUMM (Regional Reserve Prices), WAPOS (Outage Schedules) and WAPHL (HVDC Limits). Each is saved to a folder named after its type.