energyRt

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energyRt (energy system modeling R-toolbox /ˈɛnərdʒi ɑrt/) is a
macro-language for energy system modeling in R. You describe an energy system —
its fuels, technologies, resources and demands — as R objects; energyRt
compiles them into a full capacity-expansion & dispatch optimization model,
solves it, and returns tidy results ready for dplyr/ggplot2 analysis. The
technical layer (sets, equations, solver files, results parsing) is generated
for you, so you concentrate on the system you are modeling, not on the code
that optimizes it.

One model, four backends

The energyRt optimization model (~100 predefined equations, extendable with
newConstraint()) is implemented in four mathematical-programming languages.
The same model object solves on any of them, with consistent results:

Start on zero-setup GLPK; switch backends later without touching your model.

Quickstart

A complete model — one fuel, one power plant, one demand — built, solved and
read in ~20 lines (GLPK, no external setup needed on Windows with Rtools):

library(energyRt)

GAS <- newCommodity("GAS", timeframe = "ANNUAL")
ELC <- newCommodity("ELC", timeframe = "ANNUAL")

SUP_GAS <- newSupply("SUP_GAS", commodity = "GAS",
                     availability = data.frame(cost = 6.0))   # fuel price, MEUR/PJ

EGAS <- newTechnology("EGAS",
  input   = list(comm = "GAS"), output = list(comm = "ELC"),
  ceff    = data.frame(comm = "GAS", cinp2use = 0.55),        # 55% efficient
  invcost = list(invcost = 900),                              # MEUR/GW
  fixom   = 25, cap2act = 31.536, olife = 25L)

DEM_ELC <- newDemand("DEM_ELC", commodity = "ELC",
                     dem = data.frame(dem = 50))               # 50 PJ a year

mod <- newModel("HELLO",
  data    = newRepository("parts", GAS, ELC, SUP_GAS, EGAS, DEM_ELC),
  region  = "R1", discount = 0.05,
  horizon = newHorizon(period = 2025:2040, intervals = c(1, 5, 10),
                       mid_is_end = TRUE))

scen <- solve_scenario(interpolate_model(mod, name = "BASE"),
                       solver = solver_options$glpk)

getData(scen, "vObjective", merge = TRUE)   # total discounted system cost
getData(scen, "vTechCap",   merge = TRUE)   # capacity the model built, GW

The Get started vignette walks
through this example and the ideas behind it.

What's in the box

• Model bricks — commodities, technologies (with efficiencies, fuel blends
  & shares, auxiliary flows like emissions or cooling water), supply, demand,
  storage, weather, trade; draw() sketches any technology as a diagram.
  → Model bricks
• UTOPIA teaching model — a complete multi-region electricity model built
  step by step, shipped as the utopia_modules data kit with ready scenario
  levers (CO₂ cap, carbon tax, renewable share, nuclear moratorium).
  → UTOPIA I: building the model
  · UTOPIA II: running scenarios
• Levelized cost — levcost() prices a technology a-priori (screening,
  textbook LCOE) or ex-post from a solved scenario, with autoplot() cost
  breakdowns.
• Reports — report() renders an HTML/PDF datasheet for a technology or a
  solved process, levcost included.
• Scenario workflow — tidy result extraction with getData(), scenario
  editing & re-solving, Arrow-backed save_scenario()/load_scenario() for
  larger-than-memory results.
  → Workflow
  · Plotting

Learn more

• Get started — the core idea in
  ten minutes.
• Tutorials — installation, solver backends,
  model bricks, UTOPIA, workflow, plotting.
• useR! workshop — a hands-on training course built on energyRt and the
  UTOPIA model (Quarto book, in preparation).
• IDEEA — an open multi-region model of
  India's power system, built with energyRt: a production-scale application.

Installation

pak::pkg_install("optimal2050/energyRt")
# or
remotes::install_github("optimal2050/energyRt")

To reproduce pre-2026 models, install the frozen legacy release instead:
pak::pkg_install("optimal2050/energyRt@v0.50").

You will need at least one solver backend. On Windows, GLPK ships with
Rtools — no extra setup. For Julia/JuMP, Python/Pyomo, or GAMS see the
installation article and the
solver backends article.

Development status

The current development line (v0.60.x) modernizes the interpolation
pipeline, scenario storage, and analysis tools (levcost, report,
autoplot) on the way to v1.0. The v0.50 release ("half-way-there")
is frozen and remains available for pre-2026 modeling projects; its model
code, classes and methods will receive fixes only.

The package website: https://energyrt.org