How to use the CONFIG#

Warning

Configuration examples correspond to the published RESource methodology. Record the exact configuration with each analysis for reproducibility.

Hint

An interactive user interface is under development to replace this config and improve the user experience of the input configuration.

Overview#

This document provides comprehensive documentation for the RESource tool configuration file (example provided for the Canadian config file config_CAN.yaml).

Version: 1.0 Release Year: 2025

General Information#

Basic Configuration#

Title: User Configuration for RESource Tool
Country: Canada
Purpose: Configuration file containing quantitative parameters that module results rely on

Scenario Settings#

Scenario:
  run_id: default
  Description: Baseline scenario; no additional buffer zones around protected areas or aeroways.

Tip

A copy of the config file will be saved to 'results/RESources/Region ' for each run of the tool. Each config files will have the 'Scenario' name as a suffix.

Regional Mapping#

The configuration includes detailed mapping for all Canadian provinces and territories with the following information for each region:

Province/Territory Details#

Code	Name	Land Area (km²)	Land Area (mi²)	National %	Timezone	GWA Code
AB	Alberta	642,317	275,000	7.1%	Etc/GMT-7	CAN
BC	British Columbia	925,186	357,216	10.4%	Etc/GMT+7	CAN
MB	Manitoba	553,556	213,733	6.1%	Etc/GMT-6	CAN
NB	New Brunswick	71,450	27,587	0.8%	Etc/GMT-4	CAN
NL	Newfoundland and Labrador	373,872	144,355	4.1%	Etc/GMT-3.5	CAN
NS	Nova Scotia	53,338	20,594	0.6%	Etc/GMT-4	CAN
ON	Ontario	917,741	354,348	10.1%	Etc/GMT-5	CAN
PE	Prince Edward Island	5,660	2,185	0.1%	Etc/GMT-4	CAN
QC	Québec	1,365,128	527,088	15.0%	Etc/GMT-5	CAN
SK	Saskatchewan	591,670	228,449	6.5%	Etc/GMT-6	CAN

Special Configuration for British Columbia#

BC includes additional snapshot timezone configuration:

snapshots_tz_BC:
  start: ['2021-01-01 00:00:00']
  end: ['2021-12-31 23:00:00']

Data Sources#

GADM (Global Administrative Areas)#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/GADM
Processed Directory: data/processed_data/regions
Field Mapping:
- NAME_0: Country
- NAME_1: Province
- NAME_2: Region

Government of Canada Data Sources#

Conservation Lands#

URL: Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database
Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/Gov/Conservation_Lands
Data Name: ProtectedConservedArea
GDB Layer: ProtectedConservedArea_2023

IUCN Category Mapping#

Code	Description
1	Strict Nature Reserve
2	Wilderness Area
3	National Park
4	Natural Monument or Feature
5	Habitat/Species Management Area
6	Protected Landscape/Seascape
7	Protected Area with Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
8	Interim Sites (unknown specifics)
9	OECM areas

Location Mapping#

Canadian provinces and territories are mapped to numeric codes (1-21), including marine areas.

Land Ownership Mapping#

Code	Owner Type
1	Federal Govt.
2	Provincial / territorial Govt
3	Municipal government
4	Indigenous Community/People
5	Communal ownership
6	Individual landowners
7	For-profit organizations
8	Non-profit organizations
9	Joint ownership
10	Multiple ownership
11	Contested Ownership
12	not known or reported

Population Data#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/Gov/Population
Data File: Population_Projections.csv
Skip Rows: 6

Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI)#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/Gov/CEEI
Data Files:
- Buildings: bc_utilities_energy_and_emissions_data_at_the_community_level.xlsx
- Transportation: bc_on_road_transportation_data_at_the_community_level.xlsx
- Waste: bc_municipal_solid_waste_data_at_the_community_level.xlsx

NREL Annual Technology Baseline (ATB)#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/NREL/ATB
Sources:
- CSV: ATBe.csv
- Parquet: ATBe.parquet
About: NREL ATB 2024
Cost Parameters:
- CAPEX: OCC
- Fixed O&M: Fixed O&M
- Variable O&M: None

OpenStreetMap (OSM) Data#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/OSM
Key Categories:
- Aeroway: aerodrome, runway, taxiway, helipad, apron, gate
- Power: line, cable, minor_line, substation, tower, pole, generator, plant, terminal
- Substation: transmission, distribution, minor_distribution, industrial

CODERS (Canadian Open Data for Electricity Research)#

API endpoint: http://api.sesit.ca
Credential source: Authorized users can retrieve coders_api.yaml from the modeling inventory and save it locally as credentials/coders_api.yaml. See credentials/README.md.
Security: Do not commit the downloaded credential file or print its API key.
Data Types: network (substations and transmission lines)

GAEZ (Global Agro-Ecological Zones)#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/GAEZ
Source: LR.zip

Raster Types#

1. Exclusion Areas (`exclusion_2017.tif`)#

Color Map: OrRd
Title: Excluding Global Exclusion Areas
Class Exclusions:
- Solar: Classes 2-7
- Wind: Classes 2-7

2. Terrain Resources (`slpmed05.tif`)#

Color Map: terrain
Title: Excluding Terrain Slope
Class Exclusions:
- Solar: Class 9
- Wind: Classes 7-9

3. Land Cover (`faocmb_2010.tif`)#

Color Map: YlGn
Title: Excluding not-Suitable Landcovers
Class Inclusions:
- Solar: Classes 2, 3, 5, 8, 9
- Wind: Classes 2, 3, 5, 8, 9

WorldPop#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/WorldPop
Data Sources:
- Population Density (Canada)
- Population Count (Canada)
- Weighted Population Density (Global)

Climate Data (Cutout)#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/cutout/
Module: era5
Resolution: 0.25° x 0.25°
Time Period: 2023-01-01 07:00:00 to 2024-01-01 06:00:00

Global Wind Atlas (GWA)#

Root Directory: data/downloaded_data/GWA
Data Fields:
- Wind Speed at 100m
- Capacity Factor IEC Class 2
- Capacity Factor IEC Class 3
- IEC Class Extreme Loads
Filters:
- Low Wind Speed: 7 m/s
- High Wind Speed: 45 m/s

Capacity Disaggregation#

Solar Configuration#

Max Capacity: 5 MW
Land Use Intensity: 1.45 MW/km²
Cost Data: data/processed_data/solar/utility_PV_Class5_cost_moderate_NREL_ATB2024.csv
Technology: UtilityPV Class5
Panel Type: CSi (Crystalline Silicon)
Tracking: Dual-axis
Tolerances:
- Static CF: 0.16
- Capacity: 1
- WCSS: 0.01

Buffer Zones (Solar)#

All aeroway and conserved land features have 0m buffer zones in the baseline scenario.

Wind Configuration#

Max Capacity: 15 MW
Land Use Intensity: 3 MW/km²
Cost Data: data/processed_data/wind/land_based_wind_T3_cost_moderate_NREL_ATB2024.csv
Technology: Land-based Wind Turbine Technology 3
Capacity Factor Range: 0.2 - 1.0
WCSS Tolerance: 0.01

Turbine Models#

NREL ATB Turbines#

Enercon E82 3000kW - 3 MW
Vestas V90 3MW - 3 MW

OEDB Turbines#

GE2.75_120 (ID: 116) - 2.75 MW, GE Wind
3.2M114_NES (ID: 93) - 3.2 MW, Senvion/REpower

Buffer Zones (Wind)#

All aeroway and conserved land features have 0m buffer zones in the baseline scenario.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)#

Max Capacity: 10 MW
Cost Data: data/processed_data/bess/bess_LI_6hr_cost_moderate_NREL_ATB2024.csv
Type: 6Hr Battery Storage (Lithium-ion)
Variable O&M: 0
Unit Size: 60 MWh
Storage Duration: 5.5 hours

Capacity Estimates per Energy Unit#

Conservative: 0.01
Moderate: 0.05
Optimistic: 0.1

Transmission#

Grid Connection Cost: $1.616M per km
Transmission Line Rebuild Cost: $0.348M per km
Grid Proximity Limit: 100 km
Bus Data: data/processed_data/buses.csv
Line Data: data/processed_data/lines.csv

Custom Configurations#

Custom Land Layers#

The configuration supports custom raster and vector layers for specialized land use constraints:

custom_land_layers:
  rasters:
    raster_1:
      raster: {}
      class_exclusion: {}
      buffer: {}
      invert: 'False'
  vectors:
    vector_1:
      geometry: {}
      buffer: null
      invert: 'False'

Usage Notes#

Buffer Zones: In the baseline scenario, all buffer zones are set to 0m around protected areas and aeroways.
Technology Selection: The configuration uses moderate cost scenarios from NREL ATB 2024.
Data Sources: All data sources include proper attribution and licensing information.
Regional Customization: Each province/territory can be configured with specific parameters through the sub_region_mapping field.
Time Series: Climate data and capacity factor calculations use 2023 data with hourly resolution.
Quality Control: Multiple tolerance parameters ensure data quality and consistency across different analysis modules.

File Locations#

Configuration File: config/config_CAN.yaml
Data Directory: data/
Results Directory: results/
Documentation: docs/

For more information about the RESource tool, contact the developer or refer to the project documentation.

How to use the CONFIG

Contents

How to use the CONFIG#

Overview#

Table of Contents#

General Information#

Basic Configuration#

Scenario Settings#

Regional Mapping#

Province/Territory Details#

Special Configuration for British Columbia#

Data Sources#

GADM (Global Administrative Areas)#

Government of Canada Data Sources#

Conservation Lands#

IUCN Category Mapping#

Location Mapping#

Land Ownership Mapping#

Population Data#

Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI)#

NREL Annual Technology Baseline (ATB)#

OpenStreetMap (OSM) Data#

CODERS (Canadian Open Data for Electricity Research)#

GAEZ (Global Agro-Ecological Zones)#

Raster Types#

1. Exclusion Areas (exclusion_2017.tif)#

2. Terrain Resources (slpmed05.tif)#

3. Land Cover (faocmb_2010.tif)#

WorldPop#

Climate Data (Cutout)#

Global Wind Atlas (GWA)#

Capacity Disaggregation#

Solar Configuration#

Buffer Zones (Solar)#

Wind Configuration#

Turbine Models#

NREL ATB Turbines#

OEDB Turbines#

Buffer Zones (Wind)#

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)#

Capacity Estimates per Energy Unit#

Transmission#

Custom Configurations#

Custom Land Layers#

Usage Notes#

File Locations#

1. Exclusion Areas (`exclusion_2017.tif`)#

2. Terrain Resources (`slpmed05.tif`)#

3. Land Cover (`faocmb_2010.tif`)#