EMMA

What problem it solves

The open-source Electricity Market Model EMMA is a techno-economic model of the integrated north-western European power system. It models both dispatch of and investment in power plants, minimizing total costs with respect to investment, production and trade decisions subject to a large set of technical constraints. In economic terms, it is a partial equilibrium model of the wholesale electricity market with a focus on the supply side. It calculates short-term or long-term optima (equilibria) and estimates the corresponding capacity mix as well as hourly prices, generation, and cross-border trade for each market area. Technically, EMMA is a linear program with six million non-zero variables. It is written in GAMS, and solved by Cplex on a desktop computer in about ten minutes. EMMA has been used for eight peer-reviewed publications to address a range of research questions. It is also used for consulting projects.

Inputs

  • Time series data, e.g. on demand and VRE availability
  • Investment, fixed and variable costs
  • Generation and interconnection capacities

Outputs

  • Dispatch and investment decisions
  • Regional import/export balance
  • Total system costs

Language

EMMA is written in GAMS.

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