Energy Detective is an educational investigation, not a realistic inverter-trip simulator or electrical installation design tool. Three authored cases use fictional equipment ratings, simplified steady loads, and no charging or electricity generation during their short tests.
What does the simulator calculate?
Stored energy is measured in watt-hours (Wh) available above a declared lower cutoff. The engine works in scenario-relative seconds and splits time at each load schedule change, every 15 minutes at most, and exact energy-cutoff events.
When the inverter is operating, battery power equals supplied AC watts ÷ inverter efficiency + battery-side inverter overhead watts. The AC ceiling and the battery's DC output ceiling are independently enforced. Losses are recorded separately. Once stored usable energy reaches zero, the model supplies no additional service or inverter overhead.
For a complete run, initial available Wh = remaining Wh + delivered AC Wh + conversion-loss Wh + overhead Wh. Unserved requested AC energy never leaves the battery and is not part of that sum.
Why is the kettle rejected without switching off the lights?
That case models a fictional allocation rule: the 100 W background service is reserved first, and the entire kettle request is rejected if it does not fit the remaining continuous AC output. Real inverters often shut down or behave differently under overload. We do not simulate startup surge, a protection trip, thermal behavior or true kettle boiling time.
How should I compare experiments?
Every experiment starts from a fresh immutable copy of its own documented scenario. The comparison discloses changed limits, schedules, and starting stored energy. A bigger battery without extra stored charge cannot create energy; a fully charged bigger battery changes the starting conditions and is labelled accordingly.
What assumptions matter for battery labels?
Nominal Wh = nominal voltage × rated amp-hours. For the third case, the assumed usable fraction is 80%, not a universal battery rule. The compatible 12.8 V and 25.6 V presets include matching inverters; the scenario does not invite direct substitution between different system voltages. Battery voltage is not assumed physically constant during discharge.
What do the chart and replay show?
The battery-energy graph uses the same watt-hour scale for the original and selected tests. Its blue cursor identifies the inspected moment. Cutoff and load-schedule markers refer to the exact simulation time, not the count of recorded intervals. Replay only moves the inspection cursor; it never changes a simulated result. A full static result and numerical interval table remain available without replay.
How are explanations and achievements checked?
First inspect the original readings, then choose an explicitly named recorded experiment to support your explanation. Selecting an experiment for inspection does not change which test you named as supporting evidence. Choose a transfer answer and press Check my answer before feedback appears. A completed case is a locally stored learning convenience, not an authenticated grade. You can revisit a failed run without losing a previously supported solution.
Can players save or share results?
Case inputs and earned steps may be saved under a separate local browser-storage key, never into Renewable Energy City data. The app needs no account, learner name, personal grading or behavioral telemetry. If storage fails, the page retains changes while it stays open and warns that navigating or refreshing can discard them. The host may still keep ordinary access logs. Read our site privacy policy.
Direct case links share the same original activities, not somebody else's progress. Learner responses are not transmitted to a server. Model version 1; authored case revision 1.