RETScreen is software that models energy efficiency, renewable energy, and cogeneration projects. It contains models for buildings, facilities, processes and emerging technologies. The software integrates climate data from around the world and allows users to access case studies and project templates. RETScreen uses a small file format to allow sharing project data over the internet. The software is translated into many languages. It performs financial analyses on projects, including costs, financing options, incentives, and rates of return. RETScreen contains examples to model projects like solar air heating and a 2,000 kW wind turbine.

1. RETScreen®
Introduction

2. Overview of RETScreen Version 4
 Energy efficiency (EE) models for residential, commercial & institutional buildings,
& for industrial facilities & processes
 Climate database expanded to 4,700 ground-stations & NASA Satellite
Dataset Integrated within the software to cover populated areas across the
entire surface of planet
 Renewable energy, cogeneration & EE models integrated into one software file
& emerging technologies, such as wave & ocean current power added
 Project database providing users instant access to key data and information
for hundreds of case studies & project templates
 RETScreen file format ( *.ret) - a dramatically smaller file size (<25 KB instead
of 10 MB) that is easily shared over the Internet & which allows the user to create
custom databases for RETScreen
 Software & databases translated into 35 languages that cover 2/3 of the world’s
population, and available at the click of the mouse

3. Project Analysis
 Energy resource at project site
(e.g. solar radiation)
 Equipment performance
(e.g. solar absorptivity)
 Initial project costs
(e.g. solar collectors)
 “Base case” credits
(e.g. conventional cladding)
 Annual & periodic costs
(e.g. vandalism)
(Solar Air Heating Example)
Photo: NRCan

5. Financial Analysis
 Base case system energy cost
(e.g. retail price of heating oil)
 Financing
(e.g. debt ratio & length, interest rate)
 Taxes on equipment & income (or savings)
 Environmental characteristics of energy displaced
(e.g. oil, natural gas, grid electricity)
 Environmental credits and/or subsidies
(e.g. GHG credits, deployment incentives)
 Decision-maker’s definition of cost-effective
(e.g. payback period, ROI, NPV, energy production costs)

6. Financing Options
 Natural gas 1,000,000 m3/yr @ $0.40/m3
 25% energy reduction
 Capital cost $300,000
 2% inflation, 20 year project life
Cash
Short term
70% debt
10% for 5 yrs
Long term
70% debt
6% for 15 yrs
Leasing
12% for 5 yrs
Energy
Performance
Contract*
8% for 7 yrs
Savings
account,
bonds,
stocks
Equity $300,000 $90,000 $90,000 $0 $0 $300,000
Pre-tax IRR - equity 35.90% 61.20% 91.80%
Pre-tax IRR - assets 35.90% 24.10% 29.10% 19.80% 12.40% 3% - 15%
Simple payback 3 3 3 3 4.5
Equity payback 2.9 1.9 1.1 Immediate Immediate
Cumulative dividend
3 yrs $312,200 $146,000 $247,300 $62,500 $52,900
$27,000 to
$135,000
Cumulative dividend
20 yrs $2,478,000 $2,201,000 $2,154,000 $2,062,000 $1,873,000
$180,000 to
$900,000
* + 20% cost for verification + 30% cost for risk management

9. Project Example: Wind
 Basic information:
 2,000 kW wind turbine
 Cost @ $2,000/kW
 Capacity factor @ 23%
 Scenario 1:
 Electricity rate @ $0.11/kWh
 Scenario 2:
 ecoEnergy incentive @ $0.01/kWh
 or $15/tonne GHG emissions trade
Photo credit: Toronto Hydro/WindShare

10. Software
Demo