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UK Energy Modelling with CO2 Removal

A simple Python-based energy system model for simulating the UK's 2050 net-zero energy landscape.

Overview

This model simulates the UK's future energy system using hourly/daily time series data with the following key capabilities:

  • Renewable generation from wind and solar with realistic ERA5-based capacity factors
  • Multiple demand scenarios: naive scaling, seasonal scenarios, and CCC CB7 projections
  • Energy storage systems with configurable capacity, power and efficiency
  • Direct Air Capture (DAC) integration for CO2 removal using excess capacity
  • Economic analysis: Cost modeling and optimisation capabilities (in development)

Getting Started

Install dependencies using uv:

uv install

Run tests to ensure everything works:

uv run pytest

Check code style:

uv run ruff check .
uv run ruff format .

An example simulation run can be found below:

image

Development Status

Current Capabilities

  • ✅ Core power system simulation with storage
  • ✅ Long & medium-term power storage options
  • ✅ Dispatchable low-carbon generation (gas + CCS)
  • ✅ 40-year backtesting to ensure system robustness
  • ✅ Multiple demand modeling approaches
  • ✅ Renewable supply modeling with capacity factors
  • ✅ DAC integration for excess energy allocation
  • ✅ Transmission/distribution losses (11.3% total)

Planned Enhancements

  • 🔄 Hourly time resolution (currently daily)
  • 🔄 Interconnector modeling (28 GW capacity by 2050)
  • 🔄 Economic optimization and cost modeling

See todo.md for detailed development roadmap.

Data Sources

Historical weather data from ERA5, renewable capacity factors from Renewables.ninja, and demand projections from the CCC Seventh Carbon Budget. See src/data/README.md for complete data source documentation.

Related Work

Title Author Date Type
Large-scale electricity storage Royal Society 2023 Report
Exploration of Great Britain's Optimal Energy Supply Mixture and Energy Storage Scenarios Upon a Transition to Net-Zero Maj Mis 2024 Master's thesis
Modelling the UK's 2050 Energy System with Carbon Dioxide Removal Rei Suzuki 2025 Master's thesis
The Seventh Carbon Budget CCC 2025 Report
Future Energy Scenarios (FES) NESO 2025 Report
Net Zero Power and Hydrogen: Capacity Requirements for Flexibility (AFRY BID3) CCC 2023 Report
Delivering a reliable decarbonised power system CCC 2023 Report

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