ANSWER-TIMES Starter Model & TIMES-Starter Model Guidelines

The TIMES-Starter model provides new users with a carefully structured TIMES model designed according to best practices and built on solid, documented data sources. It includes all the basic building blocks, tools, and techniques required to assemble and apply a TIMES model. The model data is organised in flexible Excel workbooks (templates) that together form a viable starting point for developing a TIMES model. These templates cover the design of the Reference Energy System (RES) as well as the commodities and technologies within it. The TIMES-Starter database is largely derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (EPA-ORD) Nine-Region U.S. MARKAL model (US9r) database, a peer-reviewed compilation of data from EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Outlook.