Quickstart: Run Your First Model#

This guide gets you running a PyPSA-GB scenario.

Prerequisites#

Ensure you’ve completed the Installation steps and have the pypsa-gb environment activated:

conda activate pypsa-gb

Step 1: Check Available Scenarios#

PyPSA-GB comes with pre-configured scenarios. View them:

# List active scenarios
python -c "
import yaml
with open('config/config.yaml') as f:
    config = yaml.safe_load(f)
print('Active scenarios:', config.get('scenarios', []))
"

Common scenarios include:

Scenario

Description

HT35

Holistic Transition 2035 (ETYS network)

HT50

Holistic Transition 2050 (ETYS network)

Historical_2020

Historical year 2020

HT35_reduced

Holistic Transition 2035 (32-bus reduced)

Step 2: Run a Scenario#

Run a single scenario using Snakemake:

# Run the HT35_clustered scenario (2035 Holistic Transition, clustered network)
snakemake resources/network/HT35_clustered_solved.nc -j 4

Note

The -j 4 flag runs up to 4 jobs in parallel. Adjust based on your CPU cores.

What Happens#

The workflow executes these steps automatically:

        flowchart LR
    A[Build Network] --> B[Add Demand]
    B --> C[Add Renewables]
    C --> D[Add Thermal]
    D --> E[Add Storage]
    E --> F[Add Hydrogen]
    F --> G[Add Interconnectors]
    G --> H[Solve Network]

Step 3: View Results#

Once complete, load and inspect the solved network:

import pypsa

# Load the solved network
n = pypsa.Network("resources/network/HT35_clustered_solved.nc")

# Basic statistics
print(f"Buses: {len(n.buses)}")
print(f"Generators: {len(n.generators)}")
print(f"Storage units: {len(n.storage_units)}")
print(f"Lines: {len(n.lines)}")

# Generation capacity by technology
print("\nGeneration capacity (GW):")
print((n.generators.groupby('carrier')['p_nom'].sum() / 1000).round(1).sort_values(ascending=False))

Step 4: Generate Analysis Outputs#

Generate HTML analysis reports:

# Generate spatial analysis map
snakemake resources/analysis/HT35_clustered_spatial.html -j 1

# Generate summary dashboard
snakemake resources/analysis/HT35_clustered_dashboard.html -j 1

Open the generated HTML files in your browser.

Market scenarios produce additional outputs under resources/market/ and resources/analysis/. After the basic workflow is working, see Market Dispatch for wholesale-only and two-stage market runs.

Quick Commands Reference#

# Dry run (show what would execute)
snakemake resources/network/HT35_clustered_solved.nc -n -p

# Force re-run of a specific rule
snakemake -R solve_network -j 4

# Run with verbose logging
snakemake resources/network/HT35_clustered_solved.nc -j 4 --verbose

# Clean all outputs for a scenario
snakemake clean_HT35_clustered

Faster Testing with Reduced Networks#

For quick tests, use reduced network models:

# 32-bus reduced network (much faster)
snakemake resources/network/HT35_reduced_solved.nc -j 4

# Clustered to ~100 buses
snakemake resources/network/HT35_clustered_100_solved.nc -j 4

Expected Run Times#

Network Type

Buses

Typical Solve Time

Zonal

17

~1 minute

Reduced

32

~2 minutes

Clustered (100)

~100

~5 minutes

ETYS Full

2000+

~30 minutes

Tip

Start with reduced networks for testing, then scale up to full ETYS for production runs.

Next Steps#