EIA releases NEMS open source
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Joseph DeCarolis
May 14, 2024, 1:54:54 PMMay 14
to openmod initiative
Dear openmod community,
At the U.S. Energy Information Administration, we’ve made it a priority to increase the transparency of our data and source code. As you know, open source code is an important element of transparency.
As many openmodders have argued, government agencies have a particular responsibility to make energy models open source since government work is funded by the public and model-based analysis is used to inform decision makers.
Today represents an important milestone along EIA’s open source journey. We’ve just launched our own GitHub page! We’ve added a repo containing the source code and input data associated with the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), which we use to produce the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO). The current repo contents include the code and data snapshots used to produce the Reference case and core side cases in AEO2023. We plan to release snapshots of the code and data corresponding to each new edition of the AEO. Significant model development is underway for AEO2025, so expect a major update next spring. Note that the code is licensed under Apache 2.0.
Now for some caveats. NEMS has been under continuous development for about 30 years. It’s a complex codebase, with dozens of developers working on it over that time. Much of it is programmed in Fortran. Several different commercial software packages are required. Data and code are mixed together in the same files in ways that are hard to separate. While use of NEMS by the broader modeling community may be limited, it is an important first step towards making EIA model code open source and therefore more accessible to the public.
Later this year, we’ll be releasing a bare bones prototype of a next-generation, open source energy system model that will someday replace NEMS. More here on that effort. The next generation modeling effort is making use of modern languages, focusing on an open source software stack, and is being designed with community interaction in mind.
I want to personally thank members of the openmod community for their support and guidance over the years. The resources and expertise in this community are invaluable. I want to especially thank Robbie Morrison for his expert advice and patient feedback on my numerous licensing questions.
Best,
At the U.S. Energy Information Administration, we’ve made it a priority to increase the transparency of our data and source code. As you know, open source code is an important element of transparency.
As many openmodders have argued, government agencies have a particular responsibility to make energy models open source since government work is funded by the public and model-based analysis is used to inform decision makers.
Today represents an important milestone along EIA’s open source journey. We’ve just launched our own GitHub page! We’ve added a repo containing the source code and input data associated with the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), which we use to produce the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO). The current repo contents include the code and data snapshots used to produce the Reference case and core side cases in AEO2023. We plan to release snapshots of the code and data corresponding to each new edition of the AEO. Significant model development is underway for AEO2025, so expect a major update next spring. Note that the code is licensed under Apache 2.0.
Now for some caveats. NEMS has been under continuous development for about 30 years. It’s a complex codebase, with dozens of developers working on it over that time. Much of it is programmed in Fortran. Several different commercial software packages are required. Data and code are mixed together in the same files in ways that are hard to separate. While use of NEMS by the broader modeling community may be limited, it is an important first step towards making EIA model code open source and therefore more accessible to the public.
Later this year, we’ll be releasing a bare bones prototype of a next-generation, open source energy system model that will someday replace NEMS. More here on that effort. The next generation modeling effort is making use of modern languages, focusing on an open source software stack, and is being designed with community interaction in mind.
I want to personally thank members of the openmod community for their support and guidance over the years. The resources and expertise in this community are invaluable. I want to especially thank Robbie Morrison for his expert advice and patient feedback on my numerous licensing questions.
Best,
Joe DeCarolis
EIA Administrator
(currently on leave from NC State)
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