Scenario comparison of PyPSA-Earth with third-party modelling frameworks

[davide-f]

Describe the feature you'd like to see

It would be appropriate to compare the modelling we obtain with PyPSA-Earth to other closed and open modelling frameworks.
The more studies, the better.

This task can be addressed also by beginners.

[stuenergy]

Hi Davide,
this seems like aninteresting task! I'd be up. Do we have a particular region we're looking at?
Best,
Stuart

[pz-max]

There was a discussion at GPST about this. In short, comparing expansion problems is difficult. One has to be clear about he constrains, renewable potential, included technologies, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, cost assumptions in detail etc. There is a need for creating benchmark cases that every model can be tested on 👍🏽

[ekatef]

@pz-max a very good point! As I recall from climate experiments (CMIP & Co), it's always a challenge to keep all the models more or less close to each other!

Would it be probably helpful for us to write-down kind of definition for mode-setup intended for usage in such multi-model inter-comparisons?

I suspect, it might be very difficult to reproduce exactly settings of one energy model when user another one but we can at least try to be as close as possible and track differences

[davide-f]

Hello and nice for the interesting comments already.
I feel that we shall differentiate the goal of the comparison:

1. the comparison of modelling frameworks
2. the comparison of the final results

While performing any comparison of planning tools, it is implicit that we do both.
My feeling as to start, as a first analysis, it would be nice to run pypsa-earth for a country and compare the outputs with what we find in literature.
Clearly, input data will be different so results will be different but that's a start.
A draft comparison of input data may be done, if the third source states total demand and something alike.
As a starting point, also for the conference, I think just running a preliminary check on how far we are, eventually adjusting simple elements, e.g. scaling the total demand, may be appropriate.

A separate study may also do a more precise comparison same inputs - same outputs, this could be a separate study per-se.

[davide-f]

To start with, @stuenergy you may proceed as follows:

1. search the literature for existing planning studies for countries of relevance in Asia, South America or Africa, best if they use commercial tools. The more studies (1-3) we can compare to, the better
2. let us know, what options you have found so that we can agree on the country
3. Install and setup PyPSA-Earth for running that country.
   a. If you have never run PyPSA-Earth, start with the basic tutorial for Nigeria
   b. once you get familiar, you may start using the standard configuration by deleting the original "config.yaml" and replacing it with a new copy of "config.default.yaml": this will enable you using 1-year long time series for any country of your choice; the short tutorial applies for only few countries. Also note that, to avoid data problems, I may recommend you to delete the folders "data/resources/results/networks" to avoid any issue
   c. now you are ready to get started and use the tool for the region of your interest. Guidance is provided here. Note, if you choose a region that is not in Africa, then you need to create your own cutout using the procedure described here that requires registration and setup of the copernicus service (open to everyone after registration); links in the referenced page
   d. once the execution has been performed, you can use lots of notebooks in our documentation repo (folder notebooks) that can help you plot images and do some analyses. A guide of the examples in that repo is reported here

For understanding and getting started, also during the learning using the short tutorial (point 3a) you may use the documentation notebooks (point 3.d) to investigate the data.

[davide-f]

@stuenergy is it ok for you?
To proceed, maybe you could search for some studies and post here what you found so that we could discuss over them.

[stuenergy]

Hey team,
hey @davide-f ,

thanks for your comments and inputs. Right now I'm not sure that I'm up to the task in the given time 😬 - especially because I am to prepare and hold the full "Energy Storage" lecture at DIT from scratch (starting in a week).
That being said I did do some research on studies that used energy system models in Southern Africa, because that is my current focus. I will not be able to look into other regions. That is not agreeable with my current tasks.

I totally understand if you'd like to look into other regions. I guess that was the whole point of this excerise - at least how I get it. In that case I'd, however, be willing to take over other tasks.

What are your thoughts?
Do you have someone else in the pipeline for this task? Then it might be a safer option to go with them.

If I were to continue with some Southern African country: We do need a study based on a closed-source energy system model, right? Cause most that I have found were open-source.

Btw: Changed my account email address to my business address. Now my responses shouldn't take that long anymore. Sorry for that!

[davide-f]

Hello @stuenergy :)

Currently no one else has showed up for this task.
Having a closed source one would be a nice-have but not mandatory if we cannot find it