Data reader

From ASCEND

This is a fairly general-purpose tool for loading tabular data and reading of interpolated values from those tables, based on an 'independent variable'.

The normal intended application for the data reader was for reading weather data, so that simulations of solar energy systems could be performed in a similar way to that which can be done using TRNSYS (see [[Other modelling tools).

ASCEND corrently provides the ability to read weather data files (as described by NREL) as well as Australian Climate Data Bank files (see acdb.c for more information).

For an example model that reads and displays values from an TMY2 data file, see the ASCEND model file testtmy.a4c.

This code is still under development. In particular, use of this code exposed a limitation in IPOPT when 'integrating' models that don't have any derivatives in them.

We plan to take this further by connecting the data reader with a sun position algorithm, because it is important when interpolating values of solar flux to take into accord the time when the sun rises and sets (see the sunpos.a4c model file in the ModelLibrary).

See also the johnpye/datareader directory in the ModelLibrary.

See also TRNSYS.