Wildcards

It is easy to run PyPSA-USA for multiple scenarios using the wildcards feature of snakemake. Wildcards generalise a rule to produce all files that follow a regular expression pattern which e.g. defines one particular scenario. One can think of a wildcard as a parameter that shows up in the input/output file names of the Snakefile and thereby determines which rules to run, what data to retrieve and what files to produce.

Note

Detailed explanations of how wildcards work in snakemake can be found in the `relevant section of the documentation.

The {interconnect} wildcard

The {interconnect} wildcard sets the geographc scope of the model run. Models can be run for the western, eastern, texas, or usa grid. The interconnects follow the representation described by Breakthrough Energy.

A visual representation of each {interconnect} is shown below:

The {clusters} wildcard

The {clusters} wildcard specifies the number of buses a detailed network model should be reduced to in the rule :mod:cluster_network. The number of clusters must be lower than the total number of nodes and higher than the number of balancing authoritites.

If an m is placed behind the number of clusters (e.g. 100m), generators are only moved to the clustered buses but not aggregated by carrier; i.e. the clustered bus may have more than one e.g. wind generator.

The {ll} wildcard

The {ll} wildcard specifies what limits on line expansion are set for the optimisation model. It is handled in the rule :mod:prepare_network.

The wildcard, in general, consists of two parts:

1. The first part can be
   ``v`` (for setting a limit on line volume) or
   ``c`` (for setting a limit on line cost)

2. The second part can be
   ``opt`` or a float bigger than one (e.g. 1.25).

   (a) If ``opt`` is chosen line expansion is optimised
       according to its capital cost
       (where the choice ``v`` only considers overhead costs for HVDC transmission lines, while
       ``c`` uses more accurate costs distinguishing between
       overhead and underwater sections and including inverter pairs).

   (b) ``v1.25`` will limit the total volume of line expansion
       to 25 % of currently installed capacities weighted by
       individual line lengths; investment costs are neglected.

   (c) ``c1.25`` will allow to build a transmission network that
       costs no more than 25 % more than the current system.

The {opts} wildcard

The {opts} wildcard is used for electricity-only studies. It triggers optional constraints, which are activated in either :mod:prepare_network or the :mod:solve_network step. It may hold multiple triggers separated by -, i.e. Co2L-3H contains the Co2L trigger and the 3H switch. There are currently:

Trigger	Description	Definition	Status
nH; i.e. 2H-6H	Resample the time-resolution by averaging over every n snapshots	prepare_network: average_every_nhours() and its caller)	In active use
nSEG; e.g. 4380SEG	Apply time series segmentation with tsam package to n adjacent snapshots of varying lengths based on capacity factors of varying renewables hydro inflow and load.	prepare_network: apply_time_segmentation()	In active use
Co2L	Add an overall absolute carbon-dioxide emissions limit configured in electricity: co2limit. If a float is appended an overall emission limit relative to the emission level given in electricity: co2base is added (e.g. Co2L0.05 limits emissisions to 5% of what is given in electricity: co2base)	prepare_network: add_co2limit() and its caller	In active use
RCo2L	Add regional carbon-dioxide emissions limits configured in electricity: regional_Co2_limits. These can be specified in the file linked at electricity: regional_Co2_limits in the configuration. File defaults to repo_data/regional_co2_limits.csv.	prepare_network: add_co2limit() and its caller	In active use
RPS	Add Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) constraints to shares of generator production (MWh) per carrier for individual countries. Standards can be set for single carriers or groups of carriers. Each constraint can be designated for a specified planning horizon in multi-period models. Opts and path for portfolio_standards.csv must be defined	solve_network	In active use
SAFE	Add a capacity reserve margin of a certain fraction above the peak demand to which renewable generators and storage do not contribute. Ignores network.	solve_network add_opts_constraints()	In active use
SAFER	Adds Regional Capacity Reserve Margin (SAFE) Constraints for defined region- set to a percentage above peak demand level for which renewables and storage do not contribute to.	solve_network	In active use
Ep	Add cost for a carbon-dioxide price configured in costs: emission_prices: co2 to marginal_cost of generators (other emission types listed in network.carriers possible as well)	prepare_network: add_emission_prices() and its caller	In active use
CCL	Add minimum or maximum levels of generator nominal capacity per carrier for individual countries. Each constraint can be designated for a specified planning horizon in multi-period models. Opts and path for agg_p_nom_minmax.csv must be defined	solve_network	In active use
EQ	“Require each country or node to on average produce a minimal share of its total consumption itself. Example: EQ0.5c demands each country to produce on average at least 50% of its consumption; EQ0.5 demands each node to produce on average at least 50% of its consumption.”	solve_network	In active use
ATK	“Require each node to be autarkic. Example: ATK removes all lines and links. ATKc removes all cross-border lines and links.”	prepare_network	In active use
BAU	Add a per-carrier minimal overall capacity; i.e. at least 40GW of OCGT in Europe; configured in electricity: BAU_mincapacities	solve_network: add_opts_constraints()	Untested
carrier+{c|p|m}factor	Alter the capital cost (c), installable potential (p) or marginal costs (m) of a carrier by a factor. Example: solar+c0.5 reduces the capital cost of solar to 50% of original values.	prepare_network	In active use
CH4L	Add an overall absolute gas limit. If configured in electricity: gaslimit it is given in MWh thermal, if a float is appended, the overall gaslimit is assumed to be given in TWh thermal (e.g. CH4L200 limits gas dispatch to 200 TWh termal)	prepare_network: add_gaslimit()	In active use

The {sector} wildcard

Warning

Sector coupling studies are all under active development

The {sector} wildcard is used to specify what sectors to include. If None is provided, an electrical only study is completed.

Sector	Code	Description	Status
Electricity	E	Electrical sector. Will always be run.	Runs
Natural Gas	G	Natural gas sector	Development
Heating	H	Heating and Cooling	Development
Industry	I	Industrial Processes	Development
Transport	T	Transportation sector	Development
Methane	M	Methane tracking. Requires natural gas sector.	Future

The {scope} wildcard

Warning

Sector coupling studies are all under active development

Takes values residential, urban, total. Used in sector coupling studies to define population breakdown.

The {cutout} wildcard

The {cutout} wildcard facilitates running the rule :mod:build_cutout for all cutout configurations specified under atlite: cutouts:. Each cutout is descibed in the form {dataset}_{year}. These cutouts will be stored in a folder specified by {cutout}.

Valid dataset names include: era5 Valid years can be from 1940 to 2022

Note

Data for era5_2019 has been pre-pared for the user and will be automatically downloaded during the workflow. If other years are needed, the user will need to prepaer the cutout themself.