EPM Output Examples#

This page showcases example outputs from EPM to illustrate the model’s capabilities and the types of analyses it supports.

Important: The figures shown here are for illustrative purposes only. The numbers and results should not be used quantitatively as they are based on test data and do not represent actual planning studies.

EPM Objectives#

The Electricity Planning Model (EPM) is designed to answer key questions for power system planners:

Capacity Planning#

  • What generation capacity should be built? - Optimal mix of technologies (solar, wind, hydro, gas, etc.)

  • When should new capacity be built? - Investment timeline over the planning horizon

  • Where should it be located? - Geographic distribution across zones/countries

System Operations#

  • How will generation be dispatched? - Hourly operation of power plants

  • What are the electricity costs? - Generation costs by zone and technology

  • How much will the system cost? - Total NPV of capacity expansion and operations

Policy Analysis#

  • What is the impact of renewable targets? - Achieving minimum RE shares

  • What are the benefits of interconnections? - Cross-border power trade

  • What are the CO2 implications? - Emissions under different scenarios

Example Outputs#

1. Capacity Mix Evolution#

Shows how the generation capacity mix evolves over time across scenarios.

Capacity Mix System Evolution

System-wide capacity evolution comparing different scenarios (baseline, no transmission, optimal transmission).

2. Capacity Mix by Zone#

Shows the percentage breakdown of capacity by technology for each zone.

Capacity Mix by Zone

Capacity mix evolution by zone showing the share of each technology over time.

3. System Cost Comparison#

Compares the Net Present Value (NPV) of total system costs across scenarios.

NPV Cost System Scenarios

NPV of total system costs comparing different planning scenarios.

4. Generation Costs by Zone#

Shows how generation costs ($/MWh) evolve over time for each zone.

Generation Cost Evolution

Evolution of generation costs per MWh by zone over the planning horizon.

5. Energy Mix Evolution#

Shows how energy generation (GWh) by technology evolves over time.

Energy Mix Evolution

Energy generation mix by zone showing total GWh from each technology.

6. Dispatch Analysis#

Shows hourly dispatch of generation resources for a representative period.

Dispatch Example

Hourly dispatch for Gabon in 2025, showing how different generators meet demand throughout representative days.

7. Interactive Map#

EPM generates interactive HTML maps showing the power system geographically.

Open Interactive Map in New Tab

Interactive map showing generation capacity, interconnections, and power flows for 2040.

Output Categories#

EPM produces outputs organized in the following categories:

Category

Contents

1_capacity

Capacity mix, new capacity additions, capacity evolution

2_cost

System costs, NPV analysis, generation costs per MWh

3_energy

Energy generation, energy mix by technology

4_interconnection

Cross-border flows, transmission utilization

5_dispatch

Hourly dispatch patterns for representative periods

6_maps

Interactive geographic visualizations

Understanding the Results#

Scenarios#

EPM typically compares multiple scenarios:

  • Baseline: Reference case with current policies

  • NoTransmission: No new interconnection investments

  • TransmissionOptimal: Optimized transmission expansion

Time Periods#

Results are provided for:

  • Each model year (e.g., 2025, 2030, 2035, 2040)

  • Representative days for dispatch analysis

  • NPV totals for cost comparisons

Zones#

Results are disaggregated by:

  • System-wide: Total across all zones

  • By zone: Individual country/region results

  • By generator: Plant-level details

Next Steps#

For more details on EPM outputs, see: