Feature Request: Electricity System Modelling Extension for NetLogo
Purpose
Electricity systems worldwide are undergoing rapid and unprecedented transformation in response to climate change. Fossil‑fuel‑based generation is being progressively replaced by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. At the same time, the rapid uptake of electric vehicles, distributed batteries, and smart appliances is reshaping electricity demand profiles. Climate change itself further alters both supply and demand through shifts in wind patterns, solar radiation, rainfall, and temperature.
These changes introduce new complexity into electricity system planning and operation. Renewable generation requires expanded transmission and distribution infrastructure, and the variability of wind and solar introduces new balancing challenges at multiple time scales. Despite the importance of these issues, there is currently no simple, install‑and‑run simulator with a graphical user interface that allows researchers, students, and policymakers to explore electricity system dynamics in an accessible way.
A NetLogo-based Electricity Systems modelling framework could fill this gap. NetLogo’s strengths—intuitive interface, rapid prototyping, visualisation, and a large academic user base—make it an ideal platform for exploring electricity system transitions, climate impacts, and long‑term cost–benefit scenarios for renewable generation and transmission expansion.
Such a model would enable academics, educators, and students to contribute to research on electricity system adaptation, resilience, and decarbonisation without requiring specialised power‑system simulation software.
Background and Rationale
Agent‑based modelling (ABM) is well suited to representing electricity systems because:
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Supply and demand must balance each period, and ABMs naturally represent systems with local decision‑making and dynamic interactions.
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Generators, storage units, and demand centres can be represented as nodal agents with their own behaviours, constraints, and state variables.
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Transmission and distribution lines can be represented as link agents with capacities, losses, and congestion dynamics.
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Weather‑driven renewable generation can be modelled through environmental variables (wind, radiation, temperature) that evolve over time.
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Demand response, electric vehicles, and storage can be represented as adaptive agents responding to price signals, weather, or system conditions.
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Policy scenarios (carbon pricing, renewable targets, transmission investment) can be implemented as global parameters or institutional agents.
NetLogo already excels at modelling decentralised systems, feedback loops, and emergent behaviour—exactly the characteristics of modern electricity grids. However, the platform currently lacks a dedicated extension or library for electricity system modelling, forcing researchers to build ad‑hoc implementations from scratch.
Requested Features
A NetLogo Electricity Systems Extension or Model Library entry could include:
1. Core Electricity System Components
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Generator agents (thermal, wind, solar, hydro, storage)
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Demand agents (residential, commercial, industrial)
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Transmission and distribution line agents with:
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capacity limits
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losses
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congestion behaviour
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Substation or node agents representing grid topology
2. Weather and Climate Inputs
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Built‑in support for time‑series weather data (wind speed, solar radiation, temperature)
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Climate‑change scenario integration (e.g., IPCC‑style data inputs)
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Spatial variation in weather across patches
3. Market and Dispatch Logic
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Period‑by‑period balancing of supply and demand
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Merit‑order dispatch or agent‑based bidding
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Price formation mechanisms
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Storage charging/discharging behaviour
4. Visualisation Tools
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Real‑time power flow visualisation along links
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Node‑level generation, demand, and storage states
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Congestion and curtailment indicators
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Geographic layout options
5. Scenario and Policy Modules
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Renewable penetration scenarios
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Transmission expansion planning
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Distributed energy resource adoption
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Electric vehicle charging behaviour
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Demand response programs
6. Ease of Use
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Simple installation (no external dependencies)
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Clear documentation and example models
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GUI sliders for key parameters
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Exportable time‑series outputs for analysis
Impact
A dedicated NetLogo Electricity Systems modelling capability would:
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Lower the barrier to entry for electricity system research
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Enable rapid prototyping of new ideas in grid design and policy
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Support teaching of energy systems, climate adaptation, and sustainability
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Provide a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, economics, and environmental science
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Allow exploration of long‑term cost, reliability, and emissions outcomes under different renewable and transmission scenarios
Given the global urgency of electricity system decarbonisation, this extension would significantly expand NetLogo’s relevance to climate‑related research and education.