A post-conference online series following useR! 2026 — live Zoom sessions on building, solving, and exploring energy-system models in R.
The course focuses primarily on energyRt. It also introduces the broader optimal2050 ecosystem of R packages from the perspective of the “LEGO-lization” of energy modeling: assembling transparent and reproducible modeling workflows from interchangeable, reusable components.
With energyRt, an energy system is described as a collection of R objects. The package compiles and solves the resulting optimization model using a mathematical-programming backend, and returns the results to R as tidy tables for analysis and visualization.
Register: sign up on Zoom » — four Fridays, 7–28 August 2026, 12:00 UTC.
An open work in progress. Most of the optimal2050 packages are still in active development and not yet formally released. This course shares the ideas behind an ongoing project as much as it teaches finished software—expect a few rough edges, and bring your questions and critique. We are keen to discuss the approach, improve it together, and welcome new collaborators.
How the course works. The four meetings alternate between teaching and follow-up. Sessions 1 and 3 introduce new material with live demonstrations; Sessions 2 and 4 are follow-up sessions where we review your exercises, troubleshoot code, and answer questions. Between meetings you work through short exercises at your own pace. Materials and exercises for each session are shared shortly beforehand, so the sessions build on one another.
Schedule
All sessions run at 12:00 UTC (New York 08:00 · Berlin 14:00 · New Delhi 17:30 · Beijing 20:00) and last approximately 1.5 hours.
Session 1 — LEGO-lization of energy modeling and energyRt basics
Friday, 7 August 2026
- A brief overview of energy-system models and their place in the broader energy-economy-environment modeling landscape
- An overview of the optimal2050 ecosystem and modular, “LEGO-like” modeling workflows
- An end-to-end workflow demonstration—from defining a model to solving a tiny model live and exploring the results
- The basic concepts and structure of energyRt
- Setting up and solving a simple energy-system model in R
- Introduction to the hands-on exercises
Session 2 — Exercise follow-up
Friday, 14 August 2026
- Review and discussion of the exercises from Session 1
- Building an example model “brick by brick”
- Comparison of solutions and modeling approaches
- Policy-scenario examples, such as emissions constraints and renewable-energy targets
- Questions arising from participants’ practical work
Session 3 — Advanced energyRt applications
Friday, 21 August 2026
- Advanced energy-system modeling examples
- Reproducing a large-scale, real-world open-source energy-system model in energyRt (the specific model will be announced before the session)
- Model structure, data organization, and scenario design
- Practical considerations for larger, multi-region applications
- Using alternative mathematical-programming backends (GLPK, HiGHS/Julia, Pyomo, GAMS, and license-free remote solving via NEOS)
Session 4 — Questions and troubleshooting
Friday, 28 August 2026
- Open questions about energyRt and the course materials
- Troubleshooting participants’ models and code
- Discussion of modeling challenges and possible solutions
- Guidance on extending the examples to participants’ own applications
- Suggested next steps and further resources
Who it is for
The series is intended for researchers, analysts, students, and practitioners interested in energy-system modeling with R. Familiarity with R will be helpful, but prior experience with energyRt is not required.
Preparation
You are welcome to join simply to watch and follow along—no setup required. The hands-on exercises are done on your own time between the sessions; to take part, you will need R (version 4.3 or newer), energyRt, and at least one supported solver (RStudio recommended). Installation instructions are shared together with the course materials before each session—or see the installation guide to prepare in advance.
Registration
Register once for the whole series: sign up on Zoom »
Participants are encouraged to bring their questions, code, and modeling problems to the final session. We look forward to seeing you online.