Models

We have been the core developers of several TIMES models since the creation of this modelling platform. Most of these are actively supported by us.

KINESYS+

KINESYS⁺ (Knowledge based Investigation of Energy system Scenarios) is a bottom-up, technology rich, least-cost optimization, multi-regional global integrated assessment model, which is developed using the TIMES model generator of IEA-ETSAP.

• Rapid construction of Global TIMES models that focus on particular countries or regions – to serve as worthy starting points for further refinement with country and domain experts.
• Models are deployed online – fully functional via Internet Browsers.
  • Model building needs other tools, but incremental changes and runs can be performed online.

JRC-EU-TIMES

This started out as the Pan-European TIMES (PET), a multi-country model where the energy system of each country of the EU27, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland was represented separately, and linked to the others by the trade of energy commodities. It was initially developed within the European NEEDS project (New Energy Externalities Developments for Sustainability, a project funded by the 6th Framework Programme of the EU). It was enhanced by RES2020 in the representation of Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies.
It aims to analyse the role of energy technologies and their interaction for meeting European energy and climate change policy targets.
It produces projections (or scenarios) of the EU energy system showing its evolution up to 2060 under different sets of specific technology and policy assumptions and constraints.
The main role of JRC-EU-TIMES is the anticipation and evaluation of technology policy. The baseline scenario of JRC-EU-TIMES is always aligned to the latest EU reference scenario. The model can be used to assess which technological improvements are needed to make technologies competitive under various low-carbon energy scenarios.

IEMM

Australian TIMES model

A detailed multi-region model was developed for CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and the ClimateWorks Australia (CWA) and has been actively supported for the past several years.

The Australian TIMES model serves as a comprehensive tool for analyzing the entire energy system, from primary energy supply through to end-use services across all sectors of the economy. It can simulate the impacts of different policies, technologies, and market developments on energy production, infrastructure, and consumption patterns. This capability makes it an invaluable resource for exploring pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance energy security, and achieve sustainable economic growth.

One of the key applications of the Australian TIMES model has been its use by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to create scenarios for energy planning and operation. AEMO is responsible for ensuring the reliability and security of Australia’s electricity and gas markets, and the insights provided by the TIMES model support this mission. The scenarios generated help AEMO understand potential future states of the energy market, inform grid planning and operation strategies, and guide the integration of renewable energy sources into the system.

US9RT

The EPAUS9rT database represents a comprehensive model of the U.S. energy system across nine regions, aligned with the U.S. Census Divisions. Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this database is integral to the TIMES (The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) model, an advanced tool for optimizing energy systems. TIMES is widely utilized by a range of stakeholders, including local and federal governments, international communities, and academic institutions, to navigate the intricate dynamics of energy consumption and its implications.

Administered under the Energy Technology Systems Analysis Programme (ETSAP) of the International Energy Agency, the TIMES model facilitates informed decision-making by elucidating the complex interactions within energy systems. The EPAUS9rT stands out for its commitment to transparency, being freely accessible to the public. It is especially noted for its detailed depiction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants, offering invaluable insights into the environmental consequences of various energy production and consumption patterns in the U.S.

The database encompasses a detailed portrayal of the U.S. energy landscape, highlighting supply, technological innovations, and demand across key sectors:

– Commercial
– Industrial
– Residential
– Transportation
– Electricity generation

It includes a diverse array of energy resources, such as:

– Coal
– Natural Gas
– Nuclear
– Petroleum
– Renewables (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower)

Furthermore, the EPAUS9rT establishes a foundational set of baseline assumptions, projecting the trajectory of U.S. energy supplies, demands, and technological advancements up to the year 2050. These projections are delineated in multi-year increments for each of the nine U.S. Census Divisions, providing a strategic framework for assessing future energy scenarios.

JMRT

IMRT

FACETS

FACETS is a highly detailed, technologically-realistic model of the US energy system, designed to address the analytical and communication challenges of the contemporary energy and environmental policy landscape. FACETS can integrate dozens of unconnected policies and projects undertaken at federal, regional and state levels in response to diverse energy, climate, and air quality policy goals. The energy, environmental, and economic impacts of these measures can be assessed in the context of technology, market, and policy uncertainties, allowing high priority actions that are robust to future uncertainties to be identified and explored.
Key features of the FACETS modeling approach are:

• Regional – FACETS captures the geographical relationships – such as those between renewable resources, electricity loads, and transmission capacity – that are key drivers of the costs of energy system change. It enables true state-level policy modeling within the context of regional and federal policies, and allows assessment of important regional differences in the impacts of federal policies.
• Technologically realistic – FACETS represents real energy technologies and the infrastructure that connects them. In the power sector, it models individual power plants and their dispatch, retrofit, and retirement options. Unlike many other powerful energy models, FACETS is transparent, easy to explain, and flexible enough to examine technology futures far from the current energy system. Multiple scenarios can be run and interpreted quickly and easily, to explore uncertainty about key variables, assess alternative policy variants, and design robust strategies.
• Integrative – FACETS can analyze the costs and benefits of policy and technology options over all sectors of the energy system – resources, electricity generation, transportation for people and freight, and industrial and building energy use. Diverse policies and measures can be combined and assessed simultaneously, rather than simply being added up, identifying potential synergies and offsetting effects between approaches. It captures all efficiency-supply interactions, and enables analyses of options that may simultaneously transform multiple sectors, such as widespread use of electric vehicles.
• Insight-driven – FACETS utilizes state of the art data handling, visualization, and geographic information systems (GIS) tools to draw insights from dozens of model runs, identify key relationships within the system, locate and address risks and opportunities, and support an iterative learning and policy development process.

Scottish TIMES