This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications. User Guidance, Caveats, and Limitations of Cambium DatabasesWhen projecting the expansion and operation of the U.S. electric system in coming decades, it is necessary to make various simplifications. Here, we list some important limitations and caveats that result from these simplifications:• Cambium Data Should Not Be the Sole Basis for Decisions: Cambium data sets contain modeled projections of the future under a range of possible scenarios. Although we strive to capture relevant phenomena as comprehensively as possible, the models used to create the data are unavoidably imperfect, and the future is highly uncertain. Consequentially, these data should not be used as the sole basis for making decisions. In addition to drawing from multiple scenarios within a single Cambium set, we encourage analysts to draw on projections or perspectives from other sources, to benefit from diverse analytical frameworks when forming their conclusions about the future of the power sector.• Cambium's Metrics are Derived from System-Wide, Cost-Minimizing Optimization Models: The models that Cambium draws from take system-wide, cost-minimizing perspectives that do not necessarily reflect the decision-making of individual actors, whose actions may not align with system-wide cost-minimization because of differing incentives or information deficits.

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This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports produced after 1991 and a growing number of pre-1991 documents are available free via www.OSTI.gov. Cover Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 30542 NREL prints on paper that contains recycled content.

Department of Energy (DOE) reports produced after 1991 and a growing number of pre-1991 documents are available free via www.OSTI.gov.

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports produced after 1991 and a growing number of pre-1991 documents are available free via www.OSTI.gov.Cover photo from iStock 596040774. NREL prints on paper that contains recycled content.