Open-source Energy Modelling Tools
Extensive work has already been dedicated to model development and use in Canada. The EMH Inventory includes over 123 existing energy systems models that have been either developed or applied across Canada, ranging from transport to power systems and spanning the building, city to economy-wide scales.
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The EMH also support the development and maintenance of and access to a selection of quality open-source models and datasets such as the one listed in this section:
SILVER
Production cost and economic dispatch framework
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The Strategic Integration of Large-capacity Variable Energy Resources (SILVER) model is a production cost and economic dispatch framework developed to both analyze electricity grids and explore network scenarios with high variable renewable energy capacity.
On GitLab
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COPPER
Capacity expansion and planning framework
The Canadian Opportunities for Planning and Production of Electricity Resources (COPPER) model is a capacity expansion and planning framework for the electric grid. The framework is a multi-period, optimization-based capacity expansion model specifically designed for the Canadian context.
On GitLab
Energy Modelling Projects
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Funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Innovation Program (EIP), these tools take into account data such as energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and projected power capacity to guide the transformation of our complex energy systems to provide evidence-based insights.
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Start exploring net-zero pathways
Pathway Explorer
Canada Energy Dashboard
Energy Policy Simulator (EPS)
The Pathways Explorer is an online tool designed to facilitate the comparison of possible transformation pathways to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in Canada by 2050. A variety of pathways achieving net-zero by 2050 have been modelled using a technology-rich model that optimizes the overall cost to transform the system according to the imposed constraints. The project was designed and led by the Institut de l’énergie Trottier at Polytechnique Montréal, with the participation of ESMIA for modelling and Kashika Studio for interface development.
The Canada Energy Dashboard provides interactive access to data and insights from over 300 scenarios of Canada’s energy future. It can be used to explore the impact of policy and technological uncertainty on Canada’s emissions, electricity system, energy consumption and broader economy.
The Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) is a free and open-source computer model developed by Energy Innovation LLC as part of its Energy Policy Solutions project, an effort which aims to inform policymakers and regulators about which climate and energy policies will reduce greenhouse gas emissions most effectively and with the most beneficial financial and public health outcomes.