MUSE: An open-source agent-based integrated assessment modelling framework

Abstract

Integrated assessment models (IAMs) are a cornerstone of the climate change mitigation. Each IAM exhibits different methodologies for characterising the energy system, land use change, economics, and climate response. To date, no existing IAM can simulate the heterogeneity of investor or consumer decision-making in an integrated assessment context.This paper presents an open-source modelling framework designed to fill that gap. Named MUSE (ModUlar energy systems Simulation Environment), this new model supports flexible characterisation of agents’ decision-making, including imperfect foresight. It is modular, technology-rich, recursive-dynamic, and partial-equilibrium in nature. The structure of MUSE creates the ability to produce climate change mitigation assessments that are more grounded, and more tangible model outputs for conceiving effective approaches to mitigation.

A multi-model analysis of post-Glasgow climate action and feasibility gap

“…Finally, MUSE 53 (ModUlar energy systems Simulation Environment) is an agent-based, energy system model that provides a detailed account of the energy sector to calculate least-cost GHG emissions reduction pathways-or the costs of alternative climate policies. It is bottom-up, in that assumes shortterm microeconomic equilibrium on the energy system by iterating market clearance across all sector modules and interchanging price and quantity of each energy commodity in each region, but it is also agent-based, in that it tries to determine a mitigation pathway by providing an as-realistic-as-possible description of the investment and operational decision making in each geographical region within a sector.…”