Your First Scenario (Detailed)
A complete walkthrough of running your first energy scenario
This detailed guide walks you through every step of exploring a VerveStacks model, from initial discovery to interpreting results and making your first modifications.
Step 1: Choose Your Country
What to consider: - Start with a country you’re familiar with for easier result interpretation - Smaller countries (Switzerland, Denmark) are faster to explore initially - Larger countries (USA, China, India) offer more complex regional dynamics
Recommended first countries: - Germany: Well-documented energy transition with clear renewable targets - Japan: Interesting fossil fleet transition dynamics post-Fukushima - California (USA-CAISO): Leading renewable integration policies - Switzerland: Clean, simple system perfect for learning the interface
Step 2: Explore the Baseline Model
Understanding the interface: - Map view: Geographic layout of your energy system - Technology mix: Current generation capacity by fuel type - Regional structure: How demand and supply are spatially organized - Time structure: How the year is represented (timeslices)
Key questions to explore: - What’s the current generation mix? - Where are the renewable resources located? - How is demand distributed across regions? - What does the transmission network look like?
Step 3: Select a Climate Scenario
Available scenarios (AR6-based): - Current Policies: Business-as-usual trajectory - NDC Pledges: National climate commitments - Below 2°C: Moderate climate action - 1.5°C Limit: Aggressive decarbonization - Net Zero 2050: Maximum climate ambition
What changes between scenarios: - Carbon pricing trajectories - Renewable energy targets - Fossil fuel phase-out timelines - Demand growth patterns - Technology cost assumptions
Step 4: Run and Analyze Results
Key outputs to examine: - Capacity expansion: What new technologies get built? - Generation patterns: How does the energy mix evolve? - Regional dynamics: Which areas see the most change? - System costs: What are the economic implications? - Emissions trajectory: Does the scenario meet climate goals?
Comparison tools: - Side-by-side scenario comparison - Delta views showing changes from baseline - Time-series evolution of key metrics - Regional breakdown of impacts
Common First Insights
Typical discoveries: - Renewable energy dominates new capacity in most scenarios - Storage becomes critical in high-renewable futures - Regional differences in optimal technology mix - Transmission expansion needs for renewable integration - Economic benefits of early climate action
Questions that often arise: - Why does this technology get selected over that one? - How sensitive are results to cost assumptions? - What happens if demand grows faster/slower? - How do transmission constraints affect results?
Troubleshooting
If results seem unexpected: - Check the scenario assumptions and compare with baseline - Examine regional details - national totals can hide local dynamics - Look at the time dimension - annual averages can mask seasonal patterns - Consider transmission constraints - isolated regions behave differently
If the model runs slowly: - Try a smaller country first to learn the interface - Use the queue status to understand processing times - Consider upgrading to priority access for faster results
Next Steps
Ready to go deeper? - Customization Basics - Make your first model modifications - Understanding the Results - Detailed guide to interpreting outputs - Intermediate Tutorials - Advanced scenario design - Policy Analysis - Real-world policy applications
Want to understand the science? - Stress-Based Timeslice Design - How time is represented - Renewable Energy Characterization - How renewable resources are characterized - Demands and Prices - Economic assumptions and fuel prices
Tip
The best way to learn energy modeling is by doing. Don’t worry about understanding everything immediately - start exploring and the patterns will become clear through experience.