Excel

Top Project Finance Modeling Shortcuts (Windows and Mac)

Top Project Finance Modeling Shortcuts (Windows and Mac)

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 6 minute read

In project finance modeling, efficiency and precision are key. Whether you're using a Windows PC or a Mac, mastering the most commonly used project finance modeling shortcuts can significantly speed up...

How to Model a Debt Service Reserve Facility (DSRF)

How to Model a Debt Service Reserve Facility (DSRF)

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 9 minute read

In the world of project finance, accurately modeling financial mechanisms is critical to ensuring the long-term success of a project. One such mechanism is the Debt Service Reserve Facility (DSRF),...

Financial Model User Guide - Advanced Renewable Energy Model

Financial Model User Guide - Advanced Renewable Energy Model

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 151 minute read

This Financial Model User Guide supplements the underlying financial model and video courses by Renewables Valuation Institute.Students and users of the financial model can gain maximum value from using...

Debt Sizing with Target DSCR - Project Finance

Debt Sizing with Target DSCR - Project Finance

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 6 minute read

Debt sizing with a target debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is a method used in project finance to determine the appropriate amount of debt financing that a project can support while maintaining a...

How to Build a Financial Model in Excel?

How to Build a Financial Model in Excel?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 7 minute read

How to build a financial model in Excel? Building a financial model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your...

YEARFRAC Function - Financial Modeling

YEARFRAC Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 6 minute read

The YEARFRAC function in Excel calculates the fractional number of years between two dates. This function can be useful when dealing with financial calculations or when you need to determine the amount...

Project Finance Modeling in Excel

Project Finance Modeling in Excel

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 5 minute read

Building an advanced project finance model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your peers. By reading and applying...

MATCH Function - Financial Modeling

MATCH Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

The MATCH function in Excel is used to find the position of a value within a range of cells. Here's how you can use the MATCH function in Excel: Arguments: ·      ...

How to model an interest rate barrier?

How to model an interest rate barrier?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

In a tax-related context, an interest barrier is a mechanism used to limit the amount of tax deductions that a company can claim on its interest expenses. An interest barrier provision specifies a...

How to build a project finance model from scratch?

How to build a project finance model from scratch?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

Building an advanced project finance model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your peers. By reading and applying...

LOOKUP Function - Financial Modeling

LOOKUP Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 5 minute read

The LOOKUP Function in Microsoft Excel is a versatile function that can retrieve data from a table or range of cells based on a specified value. There are three types of LOOKUP functions in Excel: the...

OFFSET Function - Financial Modeling

OFFSET Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

The OFFSET function in Excel returns a reference to a range that is offset by a certain number of rows and columns from another cell or range of cells. How to use the OFFSET function in Excel? The OFFSET...

How to model seasonality of renewable energy revenues?

How to model seasonality of renewable energy revenues?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

In a project finance deal, the seasonality of renewable energy revenues has a significant impact on monthly cashflows. Consequently, seasonality needs to be considered in a best-practice financial model...

INDEX Function - Financial Modeling

INDEX Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

INDEX Function in Excel: Returns a value or the reference to a value from within a table or range. Learn how to apply the INDEX function for financial modeling purposes. What is the INDEX function? INDEX...

NORMINV Function - Financial Modeling

NORMINV Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

NORMINV Function in Excel: Returns the inverse of the normal cumulative distribution considering two inputs - the specified mean and standard deviation. What is the NORMINV function? The NORM.INV function...

What is degradation and how to model it?

What is degradation and how to model it?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

Degradation reduces the electricity output of solar panels over time. These losses must be considered when building a financial model for a solar plant. What exactly is degradation? Nowadays, high-quality solar...

How to use flags in financial models?

How to use flags in financial models?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 4 minute read

Using flags in Excel is a powerful tool for improving financial modeling timelines. Best practice financial models for project finance, such as renewable energy financial models, require a financial...

How to model a Debt Service Reserve Account (DSRA)?

How to model a Debt Service Reserve Account (DSRA)?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 4 minute read

The Debt Service Reserve Account (DSRA) protects a lender against an unexpected decrease in cash flow available for debt service (CFADS). The DSRA ensures that the debt provider receives the debt service...

EOMONTH Function - Financial Modeling

EOMONTH Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 4 minute read

EOMONTH Function - returns the last day of the month, which depends on the number of months before or after a particular start date. What is the EOMONTH function? The EOMONTH function returns the serial...

How to use the Name Manager in Excel?

How to use the Name Manager in Excel?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

The Name Manager in Excel is a powerful tool for creating references to certain cells and ranges. Using the Name Manager to create different macros in VBA, i.e., to break circular references, is best...

How to break a circular reference in Excel?

How to break a circular reference in Excel?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 5 minute read

Circular Reference Warning: "There are one or more circular references where a formula refers to its own cell either directly or indirectly. This might cause them to calculate incorrectly. Try removing or...

Goal Seek in VBA: How to automate Goal Seek in Excel?

Goal Seek in VBA: How to automate Goal Seek in Excel?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 6 minute read

Goal Seek in VBA: Goal Seek is a handy Excel function that helps to determine the required input value needed to achieve a targeted output value - and this process can be automated using a VBA macro!Goal...

How to use the Goal Seek Function in Excel

How to use the Goal Seek Function in Excel

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

Goal Seek is a handy Excel function that helps to determine the required input value needed to achieve a targeted output value. What is the Goal Seek function? One of the functions of the What-If-Analysis...

XNPV Function - Financial Modeling

XNPV Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 4 minute read

XNPV function - determining the Net Present Value (NPV) of an investment with non-periodic cashflows. What is the XNPV function? The Excel XNPV function returns the Net Present Value (NPV) of an...

XIRR Function - Financial Modeling

XIRR Function - Financial Modeling

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 3 minute read

XIRR function - determining the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for a series of periodically uneven cashflows. What is the XIRR function? The Excel XIRR function returns the Internal Rate of Return (IRR)...

How to Land a Financial Modeling Job?

How to Land a Financial Modeling Job?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 9 minute read

A financial modeling job typically involves building financial models to support business decision-making. Financial models are mathematical representations of a company's financial performance, and...

How to become a Project Finance Analyst?

How to become a Project Finance Analyst?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 9 minute read

A project finance analyst is a professional who specializes in analyzing and evaluating financial data related to large-scale projects, such as infrastructure, energy, or real estate developments....

How to Consider Seasonality in Excel?

How to Consider Seasonality in Excel?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 7 minute read

How to consider seasonality in Excel? In project finance, seasonality refers to the impact of seasonal variations on the cash flows generated by a project. This is particularly relevant for projects in...

How to find a circular reference in Excel?

How to find a circular reference in Excel?

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA

Lukas Duldinger, CFA, RVA 7 minute read

Excel circular references occur when a formula refers back to its own cell or a cell that directly or indirectly depends on it. Finding and fixing circular references is important because they can cause...

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