Electric System Input Data

All the input files must be located in a folder with the name of the case study.

Acronyms

Acronym	Description
AC	Alternating Current
aFRR	Automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve
AWE	Alkaline Water Electrolyzer (consumes electricity to produce hydrogen)
BESS	Battery Energy Storage System
CC	Capacity Credit
CCGT	Combined Cycle Gas Turbine
CHP	Combined Heat and Power. Cogeneration (produces electricity and heat simultaneously)
DC	Direct Current
DCPF	DC Optimal Power Flow
DR	Demand Response
DSM	Demand-Side Management (e.g., load shifting)
DSR	Demand-Side Response (e.g., interruptibility)
EB	Electric Boiler
EHU	Electrical Heating Unit (Power to Heat: consumes electricity to produce heat, e.g., heat pump, electric boiler)
EFOR	Equivalent Forced Outage Rate
ELZ	Electrolyzer (Power to Hydrogen: consumes electricity to produce hydrogen)
ENS	Energy Not Served
ENTSO-E	European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity
ESS	Energy Storage System
EV	Electric Vehicle
FHU	Fuel Heating Unit (Fuel to Heat: consumes any fuel other than hydrogen to produce heat, e.g., biomass/natural gas/oil boiler)
GEP	Generation Expansion Planning
mFRR	Manual Frequency Restoration Reserve
H2	Hydrogen
HHU	Hydrogen Heating unit (Hydrogen to Heat: consumes hydrogen to produce heat)
HNS	Hydrogen Not Served
HP	Heat Pump (power to heat: consumes electricity to produce heat)
HTNS	Heat Not Served
IRP	Integrated Resource Planning
NTC	Net Transfer Capacity
OCGT	Open Cycle Gas Turbine
PHS	Pumped-Hydro Storage
PNS	Power Not Served
PV	Photovoltaics
RES	Renewable Energy Source
SEP	Storage Expansion Planning
TEP	Transmission Expansion Planning
TTC	Total Transfer Capacity
VOLL	Value of Lost Load
VRE	Variable Renewable Energy
VRES	Variable Renewable Energy Source (units with null linear variable cost and no storage capacity. Do not contribute to the the operating reserves)

Dictionaries. Sets

The dictionaries include all the possible elements of the corresponding sets included in the optimization problem. You can’t use non-English characters (e.g., ó, º)

File	Description
oT_Dict_Period.csv	Period (e.g., 2030, 2035). It must be a positive integer
oT_Dict_Scenario.csv	Scenario. Short-term uncertainties (scenarios) (e.g., s001 to s100, CY2025 to CY2030)
oT_Dict_Stage.csv	Stage
oT_Dict_LoadLevel.csv	Load level (e.g., 01-01 00:00:00+01:00 to 12-30 23:00:00+01:00). If is a datetime format. Load levels with duration 0 are ignored. The period (year) must represented by 8736 load levels.
oT_Dict_Generation.csv	Generation units (thermal -nuclear, CCGT, OCGT, coal-, ESS -storage hydro modeled in energy or in water, pumped-hydro storage PHS, battery BESS, electric vehicle EV, demand side management DSM, alkaline water electrolyzer AWE, solar thermal- and VRES -wind onshore and offshore, solar PV, run-of-the-river hydro-)
oT_Dict_Technology.csv	Generation technologies. The technology order is used in the temporal result plot.
oT_Dict_Storage.csv	ESS storage type (daily <12 h, weekly <40 h, monthly >60 h).
oT_Dict_Node.csv	Nodes. A node belongs to a zone.
oT_Dict_Zone.csv	Zones. A zone belongs to an area.
oT_Dict_Area.csv	Areas. An area belongs to a region. Long-term adequacy, inertia and operating reserves are associated to areas.
oT_Dict_Region.csv	Regions
oT_Dict_Circuit.csv	Circuits
oT_Dict_Line.csv	Line type (AC, DC)

Geographical location of nodes, zones, areas, regions.

File	Dictionary	Description
oT_Dict_NodeToZone.csv	NodeToZone	Location of nodes at zones
oT_Dict_ZoneToArea.csv	ZoneToArea	Location of zones at areas
oT_Dict_AreaToRegion.csv	AreaToRegion	Location of areas at regions

See the hydropower system section at the end of this page to know how to define the basin topology (connection among reservoir and hydropower plants). Some additional dictionaries and data files are needed.

Input files

This is the list of the input data files and their brief description.

File	Description
oT_Data_Option.csv	Options of use of the openTEPES model
oT_Data_Parameter.csv	General system parameters
oT_Data_Period.csv	Weight of each period
oT_Data_Scenario.csv	Short-term uncertainties
oT_Data_Stage.csv	Weight of each stage
oT_Data_ReserveMargin.csv	Minimum adequacy reserve margin for each area and period
oT_Data_Emission.csv	Maximum CO2 emission of the electric system
oT_Data_RESEnergy.csv	Minimum RES energy
oT_Data_Duration.csv	Duration of the load levels
oT_Data_Demand.csv	Electricity demand
oT_Data_Inertia.csv	System inertia by area
oT_Data_OperatingReserveUp.csv	Upward operating reserves (include aFRR and mFRR for electricity balancing from ENTSO-E)
oT_Data_OperatingReserveDown.csv	Downward operating reserves (include aFRR and mFRR for electricity balancing from ENTSO-E)
oT_Data_Generation.csv	Generation (electricity and heat) data
oT_Data_VariableMaxGeneration.csv	Variable maximum power generation by load level
oT_Data_VariableMinGeneration.csv	Variable minimum power generation by load level
oT_Data_VariableMaxConsumption.csv	Variable maximum power consumption by load level
oT_Data_VariableMinConsumption.csv	Variable minimum power consumption by load level
oT_Data_VariableFuelCost.csv	Variable fuel cost by load level
oT_Data_EnergyInflows.csv	Energy inflows to an ESS by load level
oT_Data_EnergyOutflows.csv	Energy outflows from an ESS for Power-to-X (H2 production, EV mobility, heat production, or water irrigation) by load level
oT_Data_VariableMaxStorage.csv	Maximum storage of the ESS by load level
oT_Data_VariableMinStorage.csv	Minimum storage of the ESS by load level
oT_Data_VariableMaxEnergy.csv	Maximum energy of the unit by load level (the energy will be accumulated and enforced for the interval defined by EnergyType)
oT_Data_VariableMinEnergy.csv	Minimum energy of the unit by load level (the energy will be accumulated and enforced for the interval defined by EnergyType)
oT_Data_Network.csv	Electricity network data
oT_Data_NodeLocation.csv	Node location in latitude and longitude

In any input file only the columns indicated in this document will be read. For example, you can add a column for comments or additional information as needed, but it will not read by the model.

Options

A description of the options included in the file oT_Data_Option.csv follows:

Item	Description
IndBinGenInvest	Indicator of binary generation expansion decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary, 2 ignore investments}
IndBinGenRetirement	Indicator of binary generation retirement decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary, 2 ignore retirements}
IndBinRsrInvest	Indicator of binary reservoir expansion decisions (only used for reservoirs modeled with water units)	{0 continuous, 1 binary, 2 ignore investments}
IndBinNetInvest	Indicator of binary electricity network expansion decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary, 2 ignore investments}
IndBinNetH2Invest	Indicator of binary hydrogen network expansion decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary, 2 ignore investments}
IndBinNetHeatInvest	Indicator of binary heat network expansion decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary, 2 ignore investments}
IndBinGenOperat	Indicator of binary generation operation decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary}
IndBinGenRamps	Indicator of considering or not the up/down ramp constraints	{0 no ramps, 1 ramp constraints}
IndBinGenMinTime	Indicator of considering or not the min up/down time constraints	{0 no min time constraints, 1 min time constraints}
IndBinSingleNode	Indicator of single node case study	{0 network, 1 single node}
IndBinLineCommit	Indicator of binary transmission switching decisions	{0 continuous, 1 binary}
IndBinNetLosses	Indicator of network losses	{0 lossless, 1 ohmic losses}

If the investment decisions are ignored (IndBinGenInvest, IndBinGenRetirement, and IndBinNetInvest take value 2) or there are no investment decisions, all the scenarios with a probability >0 are solved sequentially (assuming a probability 1) and the periods are considered with a weight 1.

Parameters

A description of the system parameters included in the file oT_Data_Parameter.csv follows:

Item	Description
ENSCost	Cost of energy not served (ENS). Cost of load curtailment. Value of Lost Load (VoLL)	€/MWh
HNSCost	Cost of hydrogen not served (HNS)	€/kgH2
HTNSCost	Cost of heat not served (HTNS)	€/MWh
PNSCost	Cost of power not served (PNS) associated with the deficit in operating reserve by load level	€/MW
CO2Cost	Cost of CO2 emissions	€/tCO2
UpReserveActivation	Upward reserve activation (proportion of upward operating reserve deployed to produce energy, e.g., 0.3)	p.u.
DwReserveActivation	Downward reserve activation (proportion of downward operating reserve deployed to produce energy, e.g., 0.25)	p.u.
MinRatioDwUp	Minimum ratio downward to upward operating reserves	p.u.
MaxRatioDwUp	Maximum ratio downward to upward operating reserves	p.u.
Sbase	Base power used in the DCPF	MW
ReferenceNode	Reference node used in the DCPF
TimeStep	Duration of the time step for the load levels (hourly, bi-hourly, trihourly, etc.)	h
EconomicBaseYear	Base year for economic parameters affected by the discount rate	year
AnnualDiscountRate	Annual discount rate	p.u.

A time step greater than one hour it is a convenient way to reduce the load levels of the time scope. The moving average of the demand, upward/downward operating reserves, variable generation/consumption/storage and ESS energy inflows/outflows over the time step load levels is assigned to active load levels (e.g., the mean value of the three hours is associated to the third hour in a trihourly time step).

Period

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Period.csv follows:

Identifier	Header	Description
Period	Weight	Weight of each period

This weight allows the definition of equivalent (representative) years (e.g., year 2030 with a weight of 5 would represent years 2030-2034). Periods are not mathematically connected between them with operation constraints, i.e., no constraints link the operation at different periods. However, they are linked by the investment decisions, i.e., investments made in a year remain installed for the rest of the years.

Scenario

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Scenario.csv follows:

Identifiers		Header	Description
Period	Scenario	Probability	Probability of each scenario in each period	p.u.

For example, the scenarios can be used for obtaining the IRP (GEP+SEP+TEP) considering hydro energy/water inflows uncertainty represented by means of three scenarios (wet, dry and average), or two VRES scenarios (windy/cloudy and calm/sunny). The sum of the probabilities of all the scenarios of a period must be 1.

Stage

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Stage.csv follows:

Identifier	Header	Description
Scenario	Weight	Weight of each stage

This weight allows the definition of equivalent (representative) periods (e.g., one representative week with a weight of 52 or four representative weeks each one with a weight of 13). Stages are not mathematically connected between them, i.e., no constraints link the operation at different consecutive stages. Therefore, the storage type can’t exceed the duration of the stage (i.e., if the stage lasts for 168 hours the storage type can only be hourly or daily). If there are no investment decisions or the investment decisions are ignored, all the periods, scenarios, and stages are solved independently.

Adequacy reserve margin

The adequacy reserve margin is the ratio between the available capacity and the maximum demand. According to ENTSO-e, adequacy is defined as the ability of the electric system to supply the aggregate electrical demand and energy requirements of the customers at all times, taking into account scheduled and reasonably expected unscheduled outages of system elements. For determining the available capacity, the model uses the availability of the generating units times their maximum power. The availability can be computed as the ratio between the firm capacity and the installed capacity. Firm capacity can be determined as the Firm Capacity Equivalent (FCE) or the Effective Load-Carrying Capability (ELCC). A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_ReserveMargin.csv follows:

Identifiers		Header	Description
Period	Area	ReserveMargin	Minimum adequacy reserve margin for each period and area	p.u.

This parameter is only used for system generation expansion, not for the system operation. If no value is introduced for an area, the reserve margin is considered 0.

Maximum CO2 emission

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Emission.csv follows:

Identifiers		Header	Description
Period	Area	CO2Emission	Maximum CO2 emission of the electric system for each period and area	MtCO2

If no value is introduced for an area, the CO2 emission limit is considered infinite.

Minimum RES energy

It is like a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_RESEnergy.csv follows:

Identifiers		Header	Description
Period	Area	RESEnergy	Minimum RES energy for each period and area	GWh

If no value is introduced for an area, the RES energy limit is considered 0.

Duration

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Duration.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Duration Stage	Duration of the load level. Load levels with duration 0 are ignored Assignment of the load level to a stage	h

It is a simple way to use isolated snapshots or representative days or just the first three months instead of all the hours of a year to simplify the optimization problem. All the load levels must have the same duration. The duration is not intended to change for the several load levels of an stage. Usually, duration is put as 1 hour or 0 if you want not to use the load levels after some hour of the year. The parameter time step must be used to collapse consecutive load levels into a single one for the optimization problem.

The stage duration as sum of the duration of all the load levels must be larger or equal than the shortest duration of any storage type or any outflows type or any energy type (all given in the generation data) and multiple of it. Consecutive stages are not connected between them, i.e., no constraints link the operation at different stages. Consequently, the storage type can’t exceed the duration of the stage (i.e., if the stage lasts for 168 hours the storage type can only be hourly or daily). Consequently, the objective function with several stages must be a bit higher than in the case of a single stage.

The initial storage of the ESSs is also fixed at the beginning and end of each stage. For example, the initial storage level is set for the hour 8736 in case of a single stage or for the hours 4368 and 4369 (end of the first stage and beginning of the second stage) in case of two stages, each with 4368 hours.

Electricity demand

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Demand.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Node	Power demand of the node for each load level	MW

The electricity demand can be negative for the (transmission) nodes where there is (renewable) generation in lower voltage levels. This negative demand is equivalent to generate that power amount in this node. Internally, all the values below if positive demand (or above if negative demand) 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

System inertia

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_Inertia.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Area	System inertia of the area for each load level	s

Given that the system inertia depends on the area, it can be sensible to assign an area as a country, for example. The system inertia can be used for imposing a minimum synchronous power and, consequently, force the commitment of at least some rotating units. Each generating unit can contribute to the system inertia. The system inertia is the sum of the inertia of all the committed units in the area.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system electricity demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Upward and downward operating reserves

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_OperatingReserveUp.csv and oT_Data_OperatingReserveDown.csv follows:

Identifiers				Header Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Area	Upward/downward operating reserves of the area for each load level	MW

Given that the operating reserves depend on the area, it can be sensible to assign an area as a country, for example. These operating reserves must include Automatic Frequency Restoration Reserves (aFRR) and Manual Frequency Restoration Reserves (mFRR) for electricity balancing from ENTSO-E.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Generation

A description of the data included for each (electricity and heat) generating unit in the file oT_Data_Generation.csv follows:

Header	Description
Node	Name of the node where generator is located. If left empty, the generator is ignored
Technology	Technology of the generator (nuclear, coal, CCGT, OCGT, ESS, solar, wind, biomass, etc.)
MutuallyExclusive	Mutually exclusive generator. Only exclusion in one direction is needed
BinaryCommitment	Binary unit commitment decision	Yes/No
NoOperatingReserve	No contribution to operating reserve. Yes if the unit doesn’t contribute to the operating reserve	Yes/No
OutflowsIncompatibility	Outflows are incompatible with the charging process (e.g., electric vehicle). This is not the case of an electrolyzer	Yes/No
StorageType	Storage type based on storage capacity (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)	Hourly/Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly
OutflowsType	Outflows type based on the electricity demand extracted from the storage (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)	Hourly/Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly
EnergyType	Energy type based on the max/min energy to be produced by the unit (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)	Hourly/Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly
MustRun	Must-run unit	Yes/No
InitialPeriod	Initial period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
FinalPeriod	Final period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
MaximumPower	Maximum power output of electricity (generation/discharge for ESS units)	MW
MinimumPower	Minimum power output of electricity (i.e., minimum stable load in the case of a thermal power plant)	MW
MaximumPowerHeat	Maximum heat output (heat produced by a CHP, at its maximum electric power, or by a fuel heater, which do not produce electric power)	MW
MinimumPowerHeat	Minimum heat output (heat produced by a CHP, at its minimum electric power, or by a fuel heater, which do not produce electric power)	MW
MaximumReactivePower	Maximum reactive power output (discharge for ESS units) (not used in this version)	MW
MinimumReactivePower	Minimum reactive power output (not used in this version)	MW
MaximumCharge	Maximum consumption/charge when the ESS unit is storing energy	MW
MinimumCharge	Minimum consumption/charge when the ESS unit is storing energy	MW
InitialStorage	Initial energy stored at the first instant of the time scope	GWh
MaximumStorage	Maximum energy that can be stored by the ESS unit	GWh
MinimumStorage	Minimum energy that can be stored by the ESS unit	GWh
Efficiency	Round-trip efficiency of the pump/turbine cycle of a pumped-hydro storage power plant or charge/discharge of a battery	p.u.
ProductionFunctionHydro	Production function from water inflows (denominator) to electricity (numerator) (only used for hydropower plants modeled with water units and basin topology)	kWh/m3
ProductionFunctionH2	Production function from electricity (numerator) to hydrogen (denominator) (only used for electrolyzers)	kWh/kgH2
ProductionFunctionHeat	Production function from electricity (numerator) to heat (denominator) (only used for heat pumps or electric boilers)	kWh/kWh
ProductionFunctionH2ToHeat	Production function from hydrogen (numerator) to heat (denominator) (only used for hydrogen heater, which produce heat burning hydrogen)	kgH2/kWh
Availability	Unit availability for area adequacy reserve margin (also called de-rating factor or capacity credit or Firm Capacity Equivalent (FCE) or the Effective Load-Carrying Capability (ELCC))	p.u.
Inertia	Unit inertia constant	s
EFOR	Equivalent Forced Outage Rate	p.u.
RampUp	Ramp up rate for generating units or maximum discharge rate for ESS discharge (generation)	MW/h
RampDown	Ramp down rate for generating units or maximum charge rate for ESS charge (consumption)	MW/h
UpTime	Minimum uptime	h
DownTime	Minimum downtime	h
StableTime	Minimum stable time (intended for nuclear units to be at its minimum load, if lower than the rated capacity, during this time). Power variations (ramp up/ramp down) below 5% are not considered for activating the minimum stable time	h
ShiftTime	Maximum shift time	h
FuelCost	Fuel cost	€/Gcal
LinearTerm	Linear term (slope) of the heat rate straight line	Gcal/MWh
ConstantTerm	Constant term (intercept) of the heat rate straight line	Gcal/h
OMVariableCost	Variable O&M cost	€/MWh
OperReserveCost	Operating reserve cost	€/MW
StartUpCost	Startup cost	M€
ShutDownCost	Shutdown cost	M€
CO2EmissionRate	CO2 emission rate. It can be negative for units absorbing CO2 emissions as biomass	tCO2/MWh
FixedInvestmentCost	Overnight investment (capital -CAPEX- and fixed O&M -FOM-) cost	M€
FixedRetirementCost	Overnight retirement (capital -CAPEX- and fixed O&M -FOM-) cost	M€
FixedChargeRate	Fixed-charge rate to annualize the overnight investment cost	p.u.
StorageInvestment	Storage capacity and energy inflows linked to the investment decision	Yes/No
BinaryInvestment	Binary unit investment decision	Yes/No
InvestmentLo	Lower bound of investment decision	p.u.
InvestmentUp	Upper bound of investment decision	p.u.
BinaryRetirement	Binary unit retirement decision	Yes/No
RetirementLo	Lower bound of retirement decision	p.u.
RetirementUp	Upper bound of retirement decision	p.u.

The main characteristics that define each type of generator are the following:

Generator type	Description	Set name
Generator	It has MaximumPower or MaximumCharge or MaximumPowerHeat >0	g
Thermal	Fuel-based variable cost (fuel cost x linear term + CO2 emission cost) >0	t
RES	Fuel-based variable cost (fuel cost x linear term + CO2 emission cost) =0 and MaximumStorage =0. It may have OMVariableCost >0	re
Non-renewable	All the generators except the RESS	nr
ESS	It has MaximumCharge or MaximumStorage >0 or ProductionFunctionH2 or ProductionFunctionHeat >0 and ProductionFunctionHydro =0	es
Hydro power plant (energy)	ESS with ProductionFunctionHydro =0	es
Pumped-hydro storage (energy)	ESS with MaximumCharge >0	es
Battery (BESS), load shifting (DSM)	ESS with MaximumCharge >0 (usually, StorageType daily)	es
Electric vehicle (EV)	ESS with electric energy outflows	es
Electrolyzer (ELZ)	ESS with electric energy outflows and ProductionFunctionH2 >0 and ProductionFunctionHeat =0 and ProductionFunctionHydro =0	el
Heat pump or electric boiler	ESS with ProductionFunctionHeat >0 and ProductionFunctionH2 =0 and ProductionFunctionHydro =0	hp
CHP or fuel heating unit	It has RatedMaxPowerElec >0 and RatedMaxPowerHeat >0 and ProductionFunctionHeat =0	ch
Fuel heating unit, fuel boiler	It has RatedMaxPowerElec =0 and RatedMaxPowerHeat >0 and ProductionFunctionHeat =0	bo
Hydrogen heating unit	Fuel heating unit with ProductionFunctionH2ToHeat >0	hh
Hydro power plant (water)	It has ProductionFunctionHydro >0	h

The model allways considers a month of 672 hours, i.e., 4 weeks, not calendar months. The model considers a year of 8736 hours, i.e., 52 weeks, not calendar years.

Daily storage type means that the ESS inventory is assessed every time step. For daily storage type it is assessed at the end of every hour, for weekly storage type it is assessed at the end of every day, monthly storage type is assessed at the end of every week, and yearly storage type is assessed at the end of every month. Outflows type represents when the energy extracted from the storage must be satisfied (for daily outflows type at the end of every day, i.e., the sum of the energy consumed must be equal to the sum of outflows daily). Energy type represents when the minimum or maximum energy to be produced by a unit must be satisfied (for daily energy type at the end of every day, i.e., the sum of the energy generated by the unit must be lower/greater than the sum of max/min energy for every day). The storage cycle is the minimum between the inventory assessment period (defined by the storage type), the outflows period (defined by the outflows type), and the energy period (defined by the energy type) (only if outflows or energy power values have been introduced). It can be one time step, one day, one week, and one month, but it can’t exceed the stage duration. For example, if the stage lasts for 168 hours the storage cycle can only be hourly or daily.

The initial storage of the ESSs is also fixed at the beginning and end of each stage, only if the initial inventory lies between the storage limits. For example, the initial storage level is set for the hour 8736 in case of a single stage or for the hours 4368 and 4369 (end of the first stage and beginning of the second stage) in case of two stages, each with 4368 hours.

A generator with operation cost (sum of the fuel and emission cost, excluding O&M cost) >0 is considered a non-renewable unit. If the unit has no operation cost and its maximum storage =0, it is considered a renewable unit. If its maximum storage is >0, with or without operation cost, is considered an ESS.

A very small variable O&M cost (not below 0.01 €/MWh, otherwise it will converted to 0 by the model) for the ESS can be used to avoid pumping with avoided curtailment (at no cost) and afterwards being discharged as spillage.

Must-run non-renewable units are always committed, i.e., their commitment decision is equal to 1. All must-run units are forced to produce at least their minimum output.

EFOR is used to reduce the maximum and minimum power of the unit. For hydropower plants it can be used to reduce their maximum power by the water head effect. It does not reduce the maximum charge.

Those generators or ESS with fixed cost >0 are considered candidate and can be installed or not.

Maximum, minimum, and initial storage values are considered proportional to the invested capacity for the candidate ESS units if StorageInvestment is activated.

If lower and upper bounds of investment/retirement decisions are very close (with a difference <1e-3) to 0 or 1 are converted into 0 and 1.

Variable maximum and minimum generation

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_VariableMaxGeneration.csv and oT_Data_VariableMinGeneration.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Maximum (minimum) power generation of the unit by load level	MW

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

This information can be used for considering scheduled outages or weather-dependent operating capacity.

To force a generator to produce 0 a lower value (e.g., 0.1 MW) strictly >0, but not 0 (in which case the value will be ignored), must be introduced. This is needed to limit the solar production at night, for example. It can be used also for upper-bounding and/or lower-bounding the output of any generator (e.g., run-of-the-river hydro, wind). If the user introduces a minimum generation value that is greater than the maximum generation value, the model will adjust the minimum generation value to match the maximum.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Variable maximum and minimum consumption

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_VariableMaxConsumption.csv and oT_Data_VariableMinConsumption.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Maximum (minimum) power consumption of the unit by load level	MW

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

To force a ESS to consume 0 a lower value (e.g., 0.1 MW) strictly >0, but not 0 (in which case the value will be ignored), must be introduced. It can be used also for upper-bounding and/or lower-bounding the consumption of any ESS (e.g., pumped-hydro storage, battery). If the user introduces a maximum consumption value that is lower than the minimum consumption value, the model will adjust the minimum consumption value to match the maximum.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Variable fuel cost

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_VariableFuelCost.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Variable fuel cost	€/Gcal

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

Internally, all the values below 1e-4 will be converted into 0 by the model.

Fuel cost affects the linear and constant terms of the heat rate, expressed in Gcal/MWh and Gcal/h respectively.

Variable emission cost

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_VariableEmissionCost.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Variable emission cost	€/tCO2

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

Internally, all the values below 1e-4 will be converted into 0 by the model.

Energy inflows

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_EnergyInflows.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Energy inflows by load level	MWh/h

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

If you have daily energy inflows data just input the daily amount at the first hour of every day if the ESS have daily or weekly storage capacity.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Energy inflows are considered proportional to the invested capacity for the candidate ESS units if StorageInvestment is activated.

Energy outflows

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_EnergyOutflows.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Energy outflows by load level	MWh/h

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

These energy outflows can be used to represent the electric energy extracted from an ESS to produce H2 from electrolyzers, to move EVs, to produce heat, or as hydro outflows for irrigation. The use of these outflows is incompatible with the charge of the ESS within the same time step (as the discharge of a battery is incompatible with the charge in the same hour).

If you have hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/yearly outflows data, you can just input the hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/yearly amount at the first hour of every day/week/month/year.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Variable maximum and minimum storage

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_VariableMaxStorage.csv and oT_Data_VariableMinStorage.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Maximum (minimum) storage of the ESS by load level	GWh

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

It can be used also for upper-bounding and/or lower-bounding the storage of any generator (e.g., storage hydro). If the user introduces a maximum storage value that is lower than the minimum storage value, the model will adjust the minimum storage value to match the maximum.

For example, these data can be used for defining the operating guide (rule) curves for the ESS.

Variable maximum and minimum energy

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_VariableMaxEnergy.csv and oT_Data_VariableMinEnergy.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Generator	Maximum (minimum) energy of the unit by load level	MW

Not all the generators must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

It can be used also for upper-bounding and/or lower-bounding the energy of any generator (e.g., storage hydro). If the user introduces a maximum energy value that is lower than the minimum energy value, the model will adjust the minimum energy value to match the maximum.

For example, these data can be used for defining the minimum and/or maximum energy to be produced on a hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/yearly basis (depending on the EnergyType).

Electricity transmission network

A description of the circuit (initial node, final node, circuit) data included in the file oT_Data_Network.csv follows:

Header	Description
LineType	Line type {AC, DC, Transformer, Converter}
Switching	The transmission line is able to switch on/off	Yes/No
InitialPeriod	Initial period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
FinalPeriod	Final period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
Voltage	Line voltage (e.g., 400, 220 kV, 220/400 kV if transformer). Used only for plotting purposes	kV
Length	Line length (only used for reporting purposes). If not defined, computed as 1.1 times the geographical distance	km
LossFactor	Transmission losses equal to the line power flow times this factor	p.u.
Resistance	Resistance (not used in this version)	p.u.
Reactance	Reactance. Lines must have a reactance different from 0 to be considered	p.u.
Susceptance	Susceptance (not used in this version)	p.u.
AngMax	Maximum angle difference (not used in this version)	º
AngMin	Minimum angle difference (not used in this version)	º
Tap	Tap changer (not used in this version)	p.u.
Converter	Converter station (not used in this version)	Yes/No
TTC	Total transfer capacity (maximum permissible thermal load) in forward direction. Static line rating	MW
TTCBck	Total transfer capacity (maximum permissible thermal load) in backward direction. Static line rating	MW
SecurityFactor	Security factor to consider approximately N-1 contingencies. NTC = TTC x SecurityFactor	p.u.
FixedInvestmentCost	Overnight investment (capital -CAPEX- and fixed O&M -FOM-) cost	M€
FixedChargeRate	Fixed-charge rate to annualize the overnight investment cost	p.u.
BinaryInvestment	Binary line/circuit investment decision	Yes/No
InvestmentLo	Lower bound of investment decision	p.u.
InvestmentUp	Upper bound of investment decision	p.u.
SwOnTime	Minimum switch-on time	h
SwOffTime	Minimum switch-off time	h

Initial and final node are the nodes where the transmission line starts and ends, respectively. They must be different.

Depending on the voltage lines are plotted with different colors (orange < 200 kV, 200 < green < 350 kV, 350 < red < 500 kV, 500 < orange < 700 kV, blue > 700 kV).

If there is no data for TTCBck, i.e., TTCBck is left empty or is equal to 0, it is substituted by the TTC in the code. Internally, all the TTC and TTCBck values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Reactance can take a negative value as a result of the approximation of three-winding transformers. No Kirchhoff’s second law disjunctive constraint is formulated for a circuit with negative reactance.

Those lines with fixed cost >0 are considered candidate and can be installed or not.

If lower and upper bounds of investment decisions are very close (with a difference <1e-3) to 0 or 1 are converted into 0 and 1.

Node location

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_NodeLocation.csv follows:

Identifier	Header	Description
Node	Latitude	Node latitude	º
Node	Longitude	Node longitude	º

Hydropower System Input Data

These input files are specifically introduced for allowing a representation of the hydropower system based on volume and water inflow data considering the water stream topology (hydro cascade basins). If they are not available, the model runs with an energy-based representation of the hydropower system.

Dictionaries. Sets

The dictionaries include all the possible elements of the corresponding sets included in the optimization problem. You can’t use non-English characters (e.g., ó, º)

File	Description
oT_Dict_Reservoir.csv	Reservoirs

The information contained in these input files determines the topology of the hydro basins and how water flows along the different hydropower and pumped-hydro power plants and reservoirs. These relations follow the water downstream direction.

File	Dictionary	Description
oT_Dict_ReservoirToHydro.csv	ReservoirToHydro	Reservoir upstream of hydropower plant (i.e., hydro takes the water from the reservoir)
oT_Dict_HydroToReservoir.csv	HydroToReservoir	Hydropower plant upstream of reservoir (i.e., hydro releases the water to the reservoir)
oT_Dict_ReservoirToPumpedHydro.csv	ReservoirToPumpedHydro	Reservoir upstream of pumped-hydro power plant (i.e., pumped-hydro pumps from the reservoir)
oT_Dict_PumpedHydroToReservoir.csv	PumpedHydroToReservoir	Pumped-hydro power plant upstream of reservoir (i.e., pumped-hydro pumps to the reservoir)
oT_Dict_ReservoirToReservoir.csv	ReservoirToReservoir	Reservoir upstream of reservoir (i.e., reservoir one spills the water to reservoir two)

Natural hydro inflows

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_HydroInflows.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Reservoir	Natural water inflows by load level	m3/s

All the reservoirs must be defined as columns of these files.

If you have daily natural hydro inflows data just input the daily amount at the first hour of every day if the reservoir have daily or weekly storage capacity.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Natural hydro outflows

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_HydroOutflows.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Reservoir	Water outflows by load level (e.g., for irrigation	m3/s

All the reservoirs must be defined as columns of these files.

These water outflows can be used to represent the hydro outflows for irrigation.

If you have hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/yearly water outflows data, you can just input the daily/weekly/monthly/yearly amount at the first hour of every day/week/month/year.

Internally, all the values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Reservoir

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_Reservoir.csv follows:

Header	Description
StorageType	Reservoir storage type based on reservoir storage capacity (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)	Hourly/Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly
OutflowsType	Water outflows type based on the water extracted from the reservoir (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)	Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly
InitialStorage	Initial volume stored at the first instant of the time scope	hm3
MaximumStorage	Maximum volume that can be stored by the hydro reservoir	hm3
MinimumStorage	Minimum volume that can be stored by the hydro reservoir	hm3
BinaryInvestment	Binary reservoir investment decision	Yes/No
FixedInvestmentCost	Overnight investment (capital -CAPEX- and fixed O&M -FOM-) cost	M€
FixedChargeRate	Fixed-charge rate to annualize the overnight investment cost	p.u.
InitialPeriod	Initial period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
FinalPeriod	Final period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year

The model allways considers a month of 672 hours, i.e., 4 weeks, not calendar months. The model considers a year of 8736 hours, i.e., 52 weeks, not calendar years.

Daily storage type means the ESS inventory is assessed every time step. For the daily storage type, it is evaluated at the end of every hour; for the weekly storage type, it is assessed at the end of every day; for the monthly storage type, it is evaluated at the end of every week; and yearly storage type is assessed at the end of every month. Outflows type represents the interval when the energy extracted from the storage must be satisfied (for daily outflows type at the end of every day, i.e., the energy consumed must equal the sum of outflows for every day). The storage cycle is the minimum between the inventory assessment period (defined by the storage type), the outflows period (defined by the outflows type), and the energy period (defined by the energy type) (only if outflows or energy power values have been introduced). It can be one time step, one day, one week, and one month, but it can’t exceed the stage duration. For example, if the stage lasts for 168 hours the storage cycle can only be hourly or daily.

The initial reservoir volume is also fixed at the beginning and end of each stage, only if the initial volume lies between the reservoir storage limits. For example, the initial volume is set for the hour 8736 in case of a single stage or for the hours 4368 and 4369 (end of the first stage and beginning of the second stage) in case of two stages, each with 4368 hours.

Variable maximum and minimum reservoir volume

A description of the data included in the files oT_Data_VariableMaxVolume.csv and oT_Data_VariableMinVolume.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Reservoir	Maximum (minimum) reservoir volume by load level	hm3

Not all the reservoirs must be defined as columns of these files, only those with values different from 0.

It can be used also for upper-bounding and/or lower-bounding the volume of any reservoir. If the user introduces a maximum volume value that is lower than the minimum volume value, the model will adjust the minimum volume value to match the maximum.

For example, these data can be used for defining the operating guide (rule) curves for the hydro reservoirs.

Hydrogen System Input Data

These input files are specifically introduced for allowing a representation of the hydrogen energy vector to supply hydrogen demand produced with electricity or by any other means through the hydrogen network. If the hydrogen is only produced from electricity and there is not hydrogen transfer among nodes the hydrogen demand can be represented by the energy outflows associated to the unit (i.e., electrolyzer).

File	Description
oT_Data_DemandHydrogen.csv	Hydrogen demand
oT_Data_NetworkHydrogen.csv	Hydrogen pipeline network data

Hydrogen demand

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_DemandHydrogen.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Node	Hydrogen demand of the node for each load level	tH2/h

Internally, all the values below if positive demand (or above if negative demand) 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Hydrogen transmission pipeline network

A description of the circuit (initial node, final node, circuit) data included in the file oT_Data_NetworkHydrogen.csv follows:

Header	Description
InitialPeriod	Initial period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
FinalPeriod	Final period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
Length	Pipeline length (only used for reporting purposes). If not defined, computed as 1.1 times the geographical distance	km
TTC	Total transfer capacity (maximum permissible thermal load) in forward direction. Static pipeline rating	tH2
TTCBck	Total transfer capacity (maximum permissible thermal load) in backward direction. Static pipeline rating	tH2
SecurityFactor	Security factor to consider approximately N-1 contingencies. NTC = TTC x SecurityFactor	p.u.
FixedInvestmentCost	Overnight investment (capital -CAPEX- and fixed O&M -FOM-) cost	M€
FixedChargeRate	Fixed-charge rate to annualize the overnight investment cost	p.u.
BinaryInvestment	Binary pipeline investment decision	Yes/No
InvestmentLo	Lower bound of investment decision	p.u.
InvestmentUp	Upper bound of investment decision	p.u.

Initial and final node are the nodes where the transmission line starts and ends, respectively. They must be different.

If there is no data for TTCBck, i.e., TTCBck is left empty or is equal to 0, it is substituted by the TTC in the code. Internally, all the TTC and TTCBck values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Those pipelines with fixed cost >0 are considered candidate and can be installed or not.

If lower and upper bounds of investment decisions are very close (with a difference <1e-3) to 0 or 1 are converted into 0 and 1.

Heat System Input Data

These input files are specifically introduced for allowing a representation of the heat energy vector to supply heat demand produced with electricity or with any fuel through the heat network. If the heat is only produced from electricity and there is not heat transfer among nodes the heat demand can be represented by the energy outflows associated to the unit (i.e., heat pump or electric boiler).

File	Description
oT_Data_ReserveMarginHeat.csv	Heat reserve margin
oT_Data_DemandHeat.csv	Heat demand
oT_Data_NetworkHeat.csv	Heat pipeline network data

Heat adequacy reserve margin

The adequacy reserve margin for heating is the ratio between the available capacity and the maximum demand. It is modeled as the adequacy reserve margin for electricity, but considering the heat demand and the heat capacity of the units. A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_ReserveMarginHeat.csv follows:

Identifiers		Header	Description
Period	Area	ReserveMargin	Minimum heat adequacy reserve margin for each period and area	p.u.

This parameter is only used for system heating generation expansion, not for the system operation. If no value is introduced for an area, the reserve margin is considered 0.

Heat demand

A description of the data included in the file oT_Data_DemandHeat.csv follows:

Identifiers			Header	Description
Period	Scenario	LoadLevel	Node	Heat demand of the node for each load level	MW

Internally, all the values below if positive demand (or above if negative demand) 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Heat transmission pipeline network

A description of the circuit (initial node, final node, circuit) data included in the file oT_Data_NetworkHeat.csv follows:

Header	Description
InitialPeriod	Initial period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
FinalPeriod	Final period (year) when the unit is installed or can be installed, if candidate	Year
Length	Pipeline length (only used for reporting purposes). If not defined, computed as 1.1 times the geographical distance	km
TTC	Total transfer capacity (maximum permissible thermal load) in forward direction. Static pipeline rating	MW
TTCBck	Total transfer capacity (maximum permissible thermal load) in backward direction. Static pipeline rating	MW
SecurityFactor	Security factor to consider approximately N-1 contingencies. NTC = TTC x SecurityFactor	p.u.
FixedInvestmentCost	Overnight investment (capital -CAPEX- and fixed O&M -FOM-) cost	M€
FixedChargeRate	Fixed-charge rate to annualize the overnight investment cost	p.u.
BinaryInvestment	Binary pipeline investment decision	Yes/No
InvestmentLo	Lower bound of investment decision	p.u.
InvestmentUp	Upper bound of investment decision	p.u.

Initial and final node are the nodes where the transmission line starts and ends, respectively. They must be different.

If there is no data for TTCBck, i.e., TTCBck is left empty or is equal to 0, it is substituted by the TTC in the code. Internally, all the TTC and TTCBck values below 1e-5 times the maximum system demand of each area will be converted into 0 by the model.

Those pipelines with fixed cost >0 are considered candidate and can be installed or not.

If lower and upper bounds of investment decisions are very close (with a difference <1e-3) to 0 or 1 are converted into 0 and 1.