Utility rate Info not being looked up via API in v3

[gkaminski]

When I was using v1/v2, I would pass the "urdb_label" as one of the inputs in the correct tree structure and the response would be populated with the remainder of the information, including the "urdb_response" key. In v3, when I pass the "urdb_label" with the new tree structure, I get a null "urdb_response" and none of the other properties. Is there a new required input that I need to include? Apologies if this is clearly answered elsewhere.
Thanks in advance!

[kurt-verdant]

Just out of curiosity, are you concerned that there is a problem with the information for rate "urdb_label" that REopt is importing and using? Or is it the case that you'd simply like convenient programmatic access to the rate information that REopt imported and used (e.g., for reporting or qa/qc purposes)?

[gkaminski]

I'm more concerned that I am doing something incorrectly and that the rate isn't actually being imported. In v1/v2, I would post the job with only the "urdb_label" as the only input (relevant to this question). Then the polled responses would "fill in" the correct utility company and rate structure parameters. In v3, it doesn't seem to do that. For example, this was taken from a response I got in v1:

{
  "urdb_utility_name": "Consolidated Edison Co-NY Inc",
  "urdb_rate_name": "SC-9 - General Large Voluntary TOD Service [NYC]",
  "add_blended_rates_to_urdb_rate": false,
  "blended_annual_rates_us_dollars_per_kwh": 0,
  "blended_annual_demand_charges_us_dollars_per_kw": 0,
  "add_tou_energy_rates_to_urdb_rate": false,
  "net_metering_limit_kw": 0,
  "interconnection_limit_kw": 100000000,
  "wholesale_rate_us_dollars_per_kwh": [...],
  "wholesale_rate_above_site_load_us_dollars_per_kwh": [...],
  "urdb_response": {
    "label": "5cd202ab5457a3b21b54e9d6",
    "uri": "https://apps.openei.org/IURDB/rate/view/5cd202ab5457a3b21b54e9d6",
    "sector": "Commercial",
    "energyweekendschedule": [...],
    "phasewiring": "Single and 3-Phase",
    "flatdemandunit": "kW",
    "supersedes": "5b96bc5f5457a3293ff08eaf",
    "demandrateunit": "kW",
    "eiaid": 4226,
    "flatdemandmonths": [...],
    "demandratestructure": [...],
    "revisions": [...],
    "energyratestructure": [...],
    "flatdemandstructure": [...],
    "startdate": 1556694000,
    "energyweekdayschedule": [...],
    "fixedchargeunits": "$/month",
    "utility": "Consolidated Edison Co-NY Inc",
    "servicetype": "Delivery with Standard Offer",
    "description": "To Customers not subject to Rate II, IV, or V who elect to be billed at a time-of-day rate. Rate III is not\r\navailable to Customers served under General Rule 11 or Special Provision H of this SC unless the Customer\r\ntakes service under this Service Classification for all of its requirements.\r\nBilling under Rate III shall commence in the first billing period following the Company's receipt and acceptance\r\nof the Customer's written request to be served under Rate III and the installation of appropriate time-of-day\r\nmetering equipment if necessary. New Customers electing Rate III at the commencement of service will be\r\nbilled under Rate I until appropriate time-of-day metering equipment is installed.\r\nA Customer who elects to transfer from Rate I to Rate III will be ineligible for billing at Rate I for one year\r\nsubsequent to the commencement of billing at Rate III.\r\nBilling for a Customer who elects to transfer from Rate III to Rate I shall commence under Rate I with the first\r\nbilling period following the Company's receipt and acceptance of the Customer's written request for service\r\nunder Rate I. Such Customer will be ineligible for billing at Rate III for a period of one and one-half years\r\nsubsequent to the commencement of billing at Rate I.",
    "name": "SC-9 - General Large Voluntary TOD Service [NYC]",
    "is_default": false,
    "source": "http://www.coned.com/documents/elecPSC10/SCs.pdf",
    "demandweekendschedule": [...],
    "energycomments": "Rate = Delivery Charges + Market Supply Charge | Adjustments = Monthly Adjustment Clause (MAC) + MAC Adjustment + System Benefits Charge + Revenue Decoupling Mechanism + Clean Energy Standard Delivery + Delivery Revenue Surcharge + Statement of Tax Sur-credit + Dynamic Load Management Surcharge + MSC Adjustment + Merchant Function Charge + Clean Energy Standard Supply Surcharge",
    "approved": true,
    "demandweekdayschedule": [...],
    "dgrules": "Net Metering",
    "country": "USA",
    "fixedchargefirstmeter": 6.63,
    "demandunits": "kW",
    "sourceparent": "http://www.coned.com/rates/elec.asp"
  },
  "urdb_label": "5cd202ab5457a3b21b54e9d6",
  ...
}

While this is what I received in v3:

"ElectricTariff": {
  "monthly_demand_rates": [],
  "monthly_energy_rates": [],
  "urdb_label": "5cd202ab5457a3b21b54e9d6",
  "urdb_response": null,
  "urdb_rate_name": "",
  "urdb_utility_name": "",
  "blended_annual_demand_rate": null,
  "blended_annual_energy_rate": null,
  "wholesale_rate": [],
  "export_rate_beyond_net_metering_limit": [],
  "tou_energy_rates_per_kwh": [],
  "add_monthly_rates_to_urdb_rate": false,
  "add_tou_energy_rates_to_urdb_rate": false,
  "coincident_peak_load_active_time_steps": [],
  "coincident_peak_load_charge_per_kw": []
},

Note for both, the only input I provided was the urdb_label. I also notice that the "urdb_response" key is populated when i poll for results in v1, while it is null in v3.

Thanks!

[kurt-verdant]

That v1/v2 response is super cool. I never used v1/v2. My googling suggests that those detailed rate data aren't available. It's a little strange that a change in output content wouldn't have been logged at:

https://github.com/NREL/REopt-Analysis-Scripts/blob/master/v2_v3_outputs_map.csv

If you query all outputs, rate details don't appear:

https://developer.nrel.gov/api/reopt/v3/job/outputs?api_key=DEMO_KEY

I suppose one option to increase your confidence that the rate data are being pulled in correctly would be to use the Custom Rate Builder to create rate details JSON by importing information for a urdb_label and then including that JSON as the "urdb_response" in your input instead of including the corresponding "urdb_label" in your input. You should get the same answer either way.

[adfarth]

Hi! In the transition to REopt v3, the rate processing was moved to REopt.jl, and you're right that the urdb_response no longer gets populated. I'll make a note that that would be helpful! Note, however, that you will get an error if the urdb_label you provide does not exist in the URDB, or if it contains units that cannot be used in REopt.

In the meantime, I think you're two best options are:

1. Using the REopt Web Tool Custom Rate Builder as @kurt-verdant described. In the rate builder you can import a rate from the URDB, then go to "Saved Custom Rates" and download the json from there. You can then supply this as the "urdb_response " in your post.
2. You can also directly check the urdb_response returned from a given label using the REopt Julia Package. Once REopt is added to your local julia environment, you can use REopt.URDBrate("5cd202ab5457a3b21b54e9d6", 2024) to see the response returned from the URDB. The "year" input is used to align the year with the load profile year.