View source for Open Energy System Models

''Note: This article is based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_energy_system_models Wikipedia article on Open energy system models], which was written by Robbie Morrison and edited by a few other people (see article history in Wikipedia). You can find more information about all of the models mentioned here on the Wikipedia page. If you want to dive deeper into open energy system models, feel free to access the [https://wiki.openmod-initiative.org/wiki/Main_Page openmod initiative's Wiki pages] as well.'' 

'''Open energy system models''' are energy system models that are open source. Similarly open energy system data employs open data methods to produce and distribute datasets primarily for use by open energy system models.

Energy system models are used to explore future energy systems and are often applied to questions involving energy and climate policy. The models themselves vary widely in terms of their type, design, programming, application, scope, level of detail, sophistication, and shortcomings.<ref name="pye-and-bataille-2016">{{cite journal
 | first1 = Steve | last1 = Pye
 | first2 = Chris | last2 = Bataille
 | title = Improving deep decarbonization modelling capacity for developed and developing country contexts
 | year = 2016
 | journal = Climate Policy
 | volume = 16
 | number = S1
 | pages = S27–S46
 | doi = 10.1080/14693062.2016.1173004
}}
</ref>  The open energy modeling projects listed here fall exclusively within the bottom-up paradigm, in which a model is a relatively literal representation of the underlying system.<ref name="kolstad-etal-2014">
{{cite book
 | first1 = Charles | last1 = Kolstad
 | first2 = Kevin | last2 = Urama
 | first3 = John | last3 = Broome
 | first4 = Annegrete | last4 = Bruvoll
 | first5 = Micheline Cariño | last5 = Olvera
 | first6 = Don | last6 = Fullerton
 | first7 = Christian | last7 = Gollier
 | first8 = William Michael | last8 = Hanemann
 | first9 = Rashid | last9 = Hassan
 | first10 = Frank | last10 = Jotzo
 | first11 = Mizan R | last11 = Khan
 | first12 = Lukas | last12 = Meyer
 | first13 = Luis | last13 = Mundaca
 | editor = IPCC
 | year = 2014
 | title = Climate change 2014: mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
 | chapter = Chapter 3: Social, economic, and ethical concepts and methods
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | location = Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
 | pages = 207–282
 | isbn = 978-1-107-65481-5
 | url = http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg3/ipcc_wg3_ar5_full.pdf
 | access-date = 2016-05-09
}}
</ref> For many models, some form of mathematical optimization is used to inform the solution process.

Several drivers favor the development of open models and open data. There is an increasing interest in making public policy energy models more transparent to improve their acceptance by policymakers and the public.<ref name="acatech-etal-2016">
<!-- alternative URL: http://www.akademienunion.de/fileadmin/redaktion/user_upload/Publikationen/Stellungnahmen/Stellungnahme_Energy_scenarios.pdf -->
{{cite book
 | editor1 = acatech
 | editor2 = Lepoldina
 | editor3 = Akademienunion
 | title = Consulting with energy scenarios: requirements for scientific policy advice
 | date = 2016
 | publisher = acatech — National Academy of Science and Engineering
 | place = Berlin, Germany
 | isbn = 978-3-8047-3550-7
 | url = http://www.acatech.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Baumstruktur_nach_Website/Acatech/root/de/Publikationen/Kooperationspublikationen/ESYS_Position_Paper_Energy_scenarios.pdf
 | access-date = 2016-12-19
}}
</ref>  There is also a desire to leverage the benefits that open data and open software development can bring, including reduced duplication of effort, better sharing of ideas and information, improved quality, and wider engagement and adoption.<ref name="bazilian-etal-2012"/>  Model development is therefore usually a team effort and constituted as either an academic project, a commercial venture, or a genuinely inclusive community initiative.

This article does not cover projects which simply make their source code or spreadsheets available for public download, but which omit a recognized free and open source software license.  The absence of a license agreement creates a state of legal uncertainty whereby potential users cannot know which limitations the owner may want to enforce in the future.<ref name="morin-etal-2012">
<!-- website URL: http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002598 -->
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Morin | first1 = Andrew
 | last2 = Urban | first2 = Jennifer
 | last3 = Sliz | first3 = Piotr
 | title = A quick guide to software licensing for the scientist-programmer
 | date = 26 July 2012
 | journal = PLOS Computational Biology
 | volume = 8
 | issue = 7
 | pages = e1002598
 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002598
 | issn = 1553-7358
 | url = http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002598&type=printable
 | access-date = 2016-12-10
}}
</ref>  The projects listed here are deemed suitable for inclusion through having pending or published academic literature or by being reported in secondary sources.

== General considerations ==

=== Organization ===

An open energy system modeling project typically comprises a codebase, datasets, and software documentation and perhaps scientific publications.<ref name="bazilian-etal-2012">
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Bazilian | first1 = Morgan
 | last2 = Rice | first2 = Andrew
 | last3 = Rotich | first3 = Juliana
 | last4 = Howells | first4 = Mark
 | last5 = DeCarolis | first5 = Joseph
 | last6 = Macmillan | first6 = Stuart
 | last7 = Brooks | first7 = Cameron
 | last8 = Bauer | first8 = Florian
 | last9 = Liebreich | first9 = Michael
 | title = Open source software and crowdsourcing for energy analysis
 | year = 2012
 | journal = Energy Policy
 | volume = 49
 | pages = 149–153
 | doi = 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.06.032
 | url = http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/BNEF_open_source_software_and_crowdsourcing_for_energy_analysis.pdf
 | access-date = 2016-06-17
}}
</ref>  The project repository may be hosted on an institutional server or on a public code-hosting site, such as GitHub.  Some projects release only their codebase, while others ship some or all of their datasets as well.  Projects may also offer email lists, chat rooms, and web forums to aid collaboration.

The majority of projects are based within university research groups, either singingly or as academic collaborations.

A 2017 paper lists the benefits of open data and models and discusses the reasons that many projects nonetheless remain closed.<ref name="pfenninger-etal-2017">
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Pfenninger | first1 = Stefan
 | last2 = DeCarolis | first2 = Joseph
 | last3 = Hirth | first3 = Lion
 | last4 = Quoilin | first4 = Sylvain
 | last5 = Staffell | first5 = Iain
 | date = February 2017
 | title = The importance of open data and software: is energy research lagging behind?
 | journal = Energy Policy
 | volume = 101
 | pages = 211–215
 | doi = 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.11.046
 | issn = 0301-4215
 | url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421516306516/pdfft?md5=97ab263abcdfa8b8853c52dda11d7592&pid=1-s2.0-S0301421516306516-main.pdf
 | access-date = 2017-02-03
}}
</ref> The paper makes a number of recommendations for projects wishing to transition to a more open approach.<ref name="pfenninger-etal-2017"/>  The authors also conclude that, in terms of openness, energy research has lagged behind other fields, most notably physics, biotechnology, and medicine.<ref name="pfenninger-etal-2017"/>

=== Growth ===

Open energy system modeling came of age in the 2010s.  Just two projects were cited in a 2011 paper on the topic: OSeMOSYS and TEMOA.<ref name="howells-etal-2011">
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Howells | first1 = Mark
 | last2 = Rogner | first2 = Holger
 | last3 = Strachan | first3 = Neil
 | last4 = Heaps | first4 = Charles
 | last5 = Huntington | first5 = Hillard
 | last6 = Kypreos | first6 = Socrates
 | last7 = Hughes | first7 = Alison
 | last8 = Silveira | first8 = Semida
 | last9 = DeCarolis | first9 = Joe
 | last10 = Bazilian | first10 = Morgan
 | last11 = Roehrl | first11 = Alexander
 | title = OSeMOSYS: the open source energy modeling system : an introduction to its ethos, structure and development
 | year = 2011
 | journal = Energy Policy
 | volume = 39
 | issue = 10
 | pages = 5850–5870
 | doi = 10.1016/j.enpol.2011.06.033
}} The name Morgan Bazillian has been corrected.  ResearchGate [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229284137_OSeMOSYS_The_Open_Source_Energy_Modeling_System_An_introduction_to_its_ethos_structure_and_development version].
</ref> Balmorel was also active at that time, having been made public in 2001.

=== Transparency, comprehensibility, and reproducibility ===

The use of open energy system models and open energy data represents one attempt to improve the transparency, comprehensibility, and reproducibility of energy system models, particularly those used to aid public policy development.<ref name="acatech-etal-2016"/>

A 2010 paper concerning energy efficiency modeling argues that "an open peer review process can greatly support model verification and validation, which are essential for model development".<ref name="mundaca-etal-2010a"><!--
document listing: http://www.osti.gov/scitech/biblio/1001644
document listing: https://eta.lbl.gov/publications/evaluating-energy-efficiency-policies
alternative download: http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/1001644
-->
{{cite book|url=https://ies.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-3862e_1.pdf|title=Evaluating energy efficiency policies with energy-economy models — Report number LBNL-3862E|last2=Neij|first2=Lena|last3=Worrell|first3=Ernst|last4=McNeil|first4=Michael A|date=1 August 2010|publisher=Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory|location=Berkeley, CA, US|doi=10.1146/annurev-environ-052810-164840|osti=1001644|access-date=2016-11-15|last1=Mundaca|first1=Luis}}
</ref><ref name="mundaca-etal-2010b">
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Mundaca | first1 = Luis
 | last2 = Neij | first2 = Lena
 | last3 = Worrell | first3 = Ernst
 | last4 = McNeil | first4 = Michael A
 | title = Evaluating energy efficiency policies with energy-economy models
 | date = 22 October 2010
 | journal = Annual Review of Environment and Resources
 | volume = 35
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 305–344
 | doi = 10.1146/annurev-environ-052810-164840
 | issn = 1543-5938
}}
</ref>  To further honor the process of peer review, researchers argue, in a 2012 paper, that it is essential to place both the source code and datasets under publicly accessible version control so that third-parties can run, verify, and scrutinize specific models.<ref name="decarolis-etal-2012">
{{cite journal
 | first1 = Joseph F | last1 = DeCarolis
 | first2 = Kevin | last2 = Hunter
 | first3 = Sarat | last3 = Sreepathi
 | year = 2012
 | title = The case for repeatable analysis with energy economy optimization models
 | journal = Energy Economics
 | volume = 34
 | pages = 1845–1853
 | doi = 10.1016/j.eneco.2012.07.004
 | url = http://temoaproject.org/publications/DeCarolis_etal_2012.pdf
 | access-date = 2016-07-08
}}
</ref>  A 2016 paper contends that model-based energy scenario studies, seeking to influence decision-makers in government and industry, must become more comprehensible and more transparent.  To these ends, the paper provides a checklist of transparency criteria that should be completed by modelers.  The authors however state that they "consider open source approaches to be an extreme case of transparency that does not automatically facilitate the comprehensibility of studies for policy advice."<ref name="cao-etal-2016">
<!-- license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. -->
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Cao | first1 = Karl-Kiên
 | last2 = Cebulla | first2 = Felix
 | last3 = Gómez Vilchez | first3 = Jonatan J
 | last4 = Mousavi | first4 = Babak
 | last5 = Prehofer | first5 = Sigrid
 | date = 28 September 2016
 | title = Raising awareness in model-based energy scenario studies — a transparency checklist
 | journal = Energy, Sustainability and Society
 | volume = 6
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 28–47
 | doi = 10.1186/s13705-016-0090-z
 | issn = 2192-0567
 | url = http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13705-016-0090-z
 | access-date = 2016-10-04
}}
</ref>

A one-page opinion piece from 2017 advances the case for using open energy data and modeling to build public trust in policy analysis.  The article also argues that scientific journals have a responsibility to require that data and code be submitted alongside text for peer review.<ref name="pfenninger-2017"><!-- alternative url: http://www.nature.com/news/energy-scientists-must-show-their-workings-1.21517 -->
{{cite journal|last=Pfenninger|first=Stefan|date=23 February 2017|title=Energy scientists must show their workings|url=http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/1.21517!/menu/main/topColumns/topLeftColumn/pdf/542393a.pdf|journal=Nature News|volume=542|issue=7642|pages=393|doi=10.1038/542393a|access-date=2017-02-26}}
</ref>

=== State projects ===

State-sponsored open source projects in any domain are a relatively new phenomena.

As of 2017, the European Commission now supports several open source energy system modeling projects to aid the transition to a low-carbon energy system for Europe.  The Dispa-SET project is modeling the European electricity system and hosts its codebase on GitHub. The MEDEAS project, which will design and implement a new open source energy-economy model for Europe, held its kick-off meeting in February 2016.<ref name="set-plan-2016-one">
{{cite journal
 | author = <!-- staff writer, no by-line -->
 | date = November 2016
 | title = SET-Plan update
 | journal = SETIS magazine
 | number = 13
 | pages = 5–7
 | issn = 2467-382X
 | url = http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC103767/2016_no.13_modelling%20magazine_web-version.pdf
 | access-date = 2017-03-01
}}
</ref>, the project had yet to publish any source code.  The established OSeMOSYS project is developing a multi-sector energy model for Europe with Commission funding to support stakeholder outreach.<ref name="moura-and-howells-2015">
{{cite book
 | first1 = Gustavo | last1 = Moura
 | first2 = Mark | last2 = Howells
 | title = SAMBA: the open source South American model base: a Brazilian perspective on long term power systems investment and integration — Working paper dESA /5/8/11
 | date = August 2015
 | publisher = Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
 | location = Sockholm, Sweden
 | doi = 10.13140/RG.2.1.3038.7042
}} Available for download from ResearchGate.
</ref> The flagship JRC-EU-TIMES model however remains closed source.<ref name="simoes-etal-2013">
{{cite book
 | first1 = Sofia | last1 = Simoes
 | first2 = Wouter | last2 = Nijs
 | first3 = Pablo | last3 = Ruiz
 | first4 = Alessandra | last4 = Sgobbi
 | first5 = Daniela | last5 = Radu
 | first6 = Pelin | last6 = Bolat
 | first7 = Christian | last7 = Thiel
 | first8 = Stathis | last8 = Peteves
 | date = 2013
 | title = The JRC-EU-TIMES model: assessing the long-term role of the SET Plan energy technologies — LD-NA-26292-EN-N
 | publisher = Publications Office of the European Union
 | location = Luxembourg
 | doi = 10.2790/97596
 | issn = 1831-9424
 | isbn = 978-92-79-34506-7
 | url = http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC85804/jrc_times_%20eu_overview_online.pdf
 | access-date = 2017-03-03
}}  The DOI, ISBN, and ISSN refer to the online version.
</ref>

The United States National Energy Modeling System NEMS national model is available but nonetheless difficult to use.  NEMS does not classify as an open source project in the accepted sense.<ref name="pfenninger-2017"/>

== Open electricity sector models ==

Open electricity sector models are confined to just the electricity sector.  These models invariably have a temporal resolution of one hour or less.  Some models concentrate on the engineering characteristics of the system, including a good representation of high-voltage transmission networks and AC power flow.  Others models depict electricity spot markets and are known as dispatch models.  While other models embed autonomous agents to capture, for instance, bidding decisions using techniques from bounded rationality.  The ability to handle variable renewable energy, transmission systems, and grid storage are becoming important considerations.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Open electricity sector models
|-
! Project
! Host
! License
! Access
! Coding
! Documentation
! Scope/type
|-
| DIETER
| DIW Berlin
| MIT license
| download
| GAMS
| publication
| dispatch and investment
|-
| Dispa-SET
| EC Joint Research Centre
| EUPL 1.1
| GitHub
| GAMS, Python
| website
| European transmission and dispatch
|-
| EMLab-Generation
| Delft University of Technology
| Apache License|Apache 2.0
| GitHub
| Java
| manual, website
| agent-based
|-
| EMMA
| Neon Neue Energieökonomik
| CC BY-SA 3.0
| download
| GAMS
| website
| electricity market
|-
| GENESYS
| RWTH Aachen University
| LGPLv2.1
| on application
| C++
| website
| European electricity system
|-
| NEMO
| University of New South Wales
| GPLv3
| git repository
| Python
| website, list
| Australian NEM market
|-
| OnSSET
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology
| MIT
| GitHub
| Python
| website, GitHub
| cost-effective electrification
|-
| pandapower
| University of Kassel, Fraunhofer IWES
| BSD-new
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| automated power system analysis
|-
| PowerMatcher
| Flexiblepower Alliance Network
| Apache 2.0
| GitHub
| Java
| website
| smart grid
|-
| PyPSA
| Goethe University Frankfurt
| GNU General Public License|GPLv3
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| electric power systems
|-
| renpass
| University of Flensburg
| GPLv3
| by invitation
| R, MySQL
| manual
| renewables pathways
|-
| SciGRID
| University of Oldenburg
| Apache 2.0
| git repository
| Python
| website, newsletter
| European transmission grid
|-
| SIREN
| Sustainable Energy Now
| AGPLv3
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| renewable generation
|-
| SWITCH
| University of Hawai'i
| Apache 2.0
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| optimal planning
|-
| URBS
| Technical University of Munich
| GPLv3
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| distributed energy systems
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="7" style="font-size: smaller" | '''Access''' refers to the methods offered for accessing the codebase.
|}

== Open energy system models ==

Open energy system models capture some or all of the energy commodities found in an energy system.  All models include the electricity sector.  Some models add the heat sector, which can be important for countries with significant district heating.  Other models add gas networks.  With the advent of emobility, other models still include aspects of the transport sector.  Indeed, coupling these various sectors using power-to-X technologies is an emerging area of research.<ref name="bussar-etal-2014">
{{cite journal
 | first1 = Christian | last1 = Bussar
 | first2 = Melchior | last2 = Moos
 | first3 = Ricardo | last3 = Alvarez
 | first4 = Philipp | last4 = Wolf
 | first5 = Tjark | last5 = Thien
 | first6 = Hengsi | last6 = Chen
 | first7 = Zhuang | last7 = Cai
 | first8 = Matthias | last8 = Leuthold
 | first9 = Dirk Uwe | last9 = Sauer
 | first10 = Albert | last10 = Moser
 | title = Optimal allocation and capacity of energy storage systems in a future European power system with 100% renewable energy generation
 | year = 2014
 | journal = Energy Procedia
 | volume = 46
 | pages = 40–47
 | doi = 10.1016/j.egypro.2014.01.156
 | url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610214001726/pdf?md5=7920a65166f703f26648e73f5ee8a7be&pid=1-s2.0-S1876610214001726-main.pdf
 | access-date = 2016-07-07
}}
</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Open energy system models <span style="font-weight: normal">(bottom-up, with support for heat, gas, and such, as well as electricity)</span>
|-
! Project
! Host
! License
! Access
! Coding
! Documentation
! Scope/type
|-
| Balmorel
| Denmark
| ISC
| registration
| GAMS
| manual
| energy markets
|-
| Calliope
| ETH Zurich
| Apache 2.0
| download
| Python
| manual, website, list
| dispatch and investment
|-
| DESSTinEE
| Imperial College London
| CC-BY-SA 3.0
| download
| Excel/VBA
| website
| simulation
|-
| Energy Transition Model
| Quintel Intelligence
| MIT
| GitHub
| Ruby
| website
| web-based
|-
| EnergyPATHWAYS
| Evolved Energy Research
| MIT
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| mostly simulation
|-
| ETEM
| ORDECSYS, Switzerland
| Eclipse 1.0
| registration
| MathProg
| manual
| municipal
|-
| ficus
| Technical University of Munich
| GPLv3
| GitHub
| Python
| manual
| local electricity and heat
|-
| oemof
| oemof community supported by Reiner Lemoine Institute, University of Flensburg, Fachhochschule Flensburg
| GPLv3
| GitHub
| Python
| website
| framework - dispatch, investment, all sectors, LP/MILP
|-
| OSeMOSYS]]
| OSeMOSYS community
| Apache 2.0
| GitHub
| GAMS, MathProg, Python
| website, forum
| planning at all scales
|-
| TEMOA
| North Carolina State University
| GPLv2+
| GitHub
| Python
| website, forum
| system planning
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="7" style="font-size: smaller" | '''Access''' refers to the methods offered for accessing the codebase.
|}


== External links ==

* [https://www.einstein-energy.net/ Expert system for an Intelligent Supply of Thermal Energy in Industry] (EINSTEIN) – a project for single-facility analysis
* [http://oep.iks.cs.ovgu.de/factsheets/models/ OpenEnergy Platform factsheets] – structured summaries covering a range of open and closed energy system models
* [http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/ OpenEnergyMonitor] – an open source energy use monitoring project
* [http://open-power-system-data.org/ Open Power System Data] – an open electricity data project for Germany and beyond
* [http://en.openei.org/wiki/System_Advisor_Model_%28SAM%29 SAM Solar Advisor Model] – a project for evaluating photovoltaic installations
* [http://www.trnsys.com/ TRNSYS] – the transient system simulation tool

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Tools]]