Frequently asked questions

What’s included in a ‘typical’ MESSAGEix model?

A typical MESSAGEix model instance is based on a suite of technologies such as power plants, which represent a reference energy system (RES). Each technology is characterised by its input and output commodities, costs (investment, fixed and variable components), and other technical/engineering parameters. The model minimizes the total system cost while meeting a given demand for energy services or commodities.

Which policies and regulatory measures can be included?

The MESSAGEix framework can represent a wide range of mitigation options and policies to analyse transformation pathways. For example, bounds or taxes on emissions can be defined to shift the system towards a low-emission technology mix. Upper or lower bounds on deployment of new technologies can also be easily included.

Answered elsewhere

• Under which license is MESSAGEix released? → see README.md or the the documentation index.

• Can I use MESSAGEix for my own analysis? → see User guidelines and notice.

• How can I contribute to the development of the MESSAGEix framework? → see Contributing to MESSAGEix development.

• I have a question not answered here → see the documentation index for information on the community mailing list.