CIMS – COPPER – SILVER Linkage

The cims‑copper‑silver linkage is the first in the M3 linkages. It is an integration that automates the data transfer between three open‑source energy‑system models—CIMS, COPPER, and SILVER—so that analysts can explore economy‑wide policy scenarios with a robust power system representation without manually exporting and re‑formatting data after every run. The runner script orchestrates each model inside its own Conda environment, moves the intermediate files, and iterates until electricity prices converge.

To read more about the linkage please see the whitepaper here

Supported repositories & branches

Model / Tool GitLab or GitHub repository Branch used by runner
CIMS Model https://github.com/EMRG-SFU/cims staging
COPPER Model https://gitlab.com/sesit/copper prov_phase_out
SILVER Model https://gitlab.com/sesit/silver cedar-testing
Linkage runner https://gitlab.com/sesit/cims-copper-silver main
CIMS model runner https://gitlab.com/sesit/cims-models-fork main

These exact branches are pinned so that the input/output schemas remain compatible across models.

  • Temporal and spatial detail – CIMS supplies province‑level annual demand; The linking tool converts it into hourly loads for COPPER. COPPER optimizes capacity expansion to meet the load and SILVER stress‑tests dispatch feasibility at the hourly level.
  • Iterative price feedback – Electricity prices from COPPER feed back into CIMS, capturing the behavioural response of the system
  • Standard formats – Where possible, intermediate CSVs follow the IAMC format in an attempt to standardizing linkages across models and minimize moving targets when inputs and outputs change between platforms. This should also provide a framework for adding additional models to M3 Linkages repository.

Next steps

Head over to Get started to set up the model environments, or jump straight into the Quick‑start tutorial if you already have the models on your machine.