Technologies

Technologies are the building blocks of a Scenario Builder model: every generator, storage asset, and network link in your scenario is an instance of a technology. Each technology carries its own techno-economic assumptions — costs, efficiencies, build limits, operating behaviour — which you can inspect and edit as input data.

Technologies in your scenario

Calibrated per model

Each country model ships with a calibrated technology set — the technologies that exist in, or are plausible for, that power system. You’ll only ever see technologies relevant to the geography and configuration you picked.

Choose at creation

When creating a scenario, the Technologies field under Configuration lists the calibrated set with everything selected. Deselect any technology you want to exclude — below, battery and bioenergy are removed from the mix.

Traced across the app

Every technology keeps a consistent colour swatch throughout the app: the creation form, results charts, and the workspace data grid all use the same colour per technology, so you can follow it from configuration to results. In results charts, click a technology in the legend to isolate it — click again to restore the full mix.

Deselecting a technology removes it from the model entirely — it won’t appear in inputs, results, or charts. At least one technology must stay selected. Most scenarios keep the full calibrated set and constrain individual technologies through capacity inputs instead.

Deselecting technologies and calibration

A country model is calibrated as a whole: its base-year capacities, generation, emissions, and trade are checked against historical data with the full technology set in place. Take a technology out and that mix changes, so a scenario built on a reduced set no longer meets the calibration standard — read its results as exploratory rather than validated against history. The scenario still runs, and comparisons between your own scenarios remain valid. What you give up is the guarantee that the base year reproduces history. Scenario Builder flags this in the creation form while any technology is deselected; reselecting the full set restores calibration. To keep calibration and still test a constrained future, leave the technology selected and limit it through capacity inputs instead.

Technology directory

The full technology taxonomy is listed below, grouped by family. Parent technologies (e.g. Coal) aggregate their variants; a country model may calibrate at the parent or the variant level depending on data availability. Technologies that store energy rather than generate it are marked Storage.

Coal

Coal-fired power plants, differentiated by steam cycle and combustion type.

Technology	Slug	Description
Coal	`coal`	Parent for all coal-fired generation.
Coal subcritical	`coal-subcritical`	Conventional steam cycle below the critical point of water; lowest efficiency, most common in older fleets.
Coal supercritical	`coal-supercritical`	Steam cycle above the critical point; higher efficiency and lower emissions per MWh than subcritical.
Coal ultra-supercritical	`coal-ultrasupercritical`	Highest steam temperatures and pressures; the most efficient pulverised-coal design.
Coal circulating fluidized bed	`coal-circulating-fluidized-bed`	Combusts crushed coal in a fluidised bed; fuel-flexible and lower NOx/SOx.
Integrated gasification combined cycle	`integrated-gasification-combined-cycle`	Gasifies coal into syngas and burns it in a combined cycle; high efficiency, capture-ready.
Coal cogeneration	`coal-cogeneration`	Coal plant producing both electricity and useful heat (CHP).
Coal bio co-firing	`coal-bio-cofiring`	Coal plant co-firing a share of biomass to cut net emissions.
Coal CCS	`coal-ccs`	Coal plant fitted with carbon capture and storage.
Coal unspecified	`coal-unspecified`	Coal capacity whose combustion technology is not identified in the source data.

Gas

Gas-fired power plants, from peaking turbines to high-efficiency combined cycles.

Technology	Slug	Description
Gas	`gas`	Parent for all gas-fired generation.
Gas combined cycle	`gas-combined-cycle`	Gas turbine plus steam turbine recovering exhaust heat; the efficiency workhorse of gas fleets.
Gas open cycle gas turbine	`gas-open-cycle-gas-turbine`	Standalone gas turbine; fast-starting, lower efficiency, typically used for peaking.
Gas turbine	`gas-turbine`	Generic gas turbine where the cycle type is not distinguished.
Internal combustion combined cycle	`internal-combustion-combined-cycle`	Reciprocating gas engines with waste-heat recovery; flexible mid-scale generation.
Allam–Fetvedt cycle	`allum-fetvedt-cycle`	Oxy-combustion cycle using supercritical CO₂ as the working fluid; captures CO₂ by design.
Gas cogeneration	`gas-cogeneration`	Gas plant producing both electricity and useful heat (CHP).
Gas CCS	`gas-ccs`	Gas plant fitted with carbon capture and storage.
Gas ammonia co-firing	`gas-ammonia-cofiring`	Gas plant co-firing ammonia to reduce carbon intensity.
Gas bio co-firing	`gas-bio-cofiring`	Gas plant co-firing biogas or biomass-derived fuel.
Gas coal co-firing	`gas-coal-cofiring`	Plant firing a gas–coal fuel mix.
Gas oil co-firing	`gas-oil-cofiring`	Plant switching or blending between gas and oil.
Gas unspecified	`gas-unspecified`	Gas capacity whose cycle type is not identified in the source data.

Oil

Liquid-fuelled generation, mostly diesel and fuel-oil engines in island and backup roles.

Technology	Slug	Description
Oil	`oil`	Parent for all oil-fired generation.
Petroleum products internal combustion engine	`petroleum-products-internal-combustion-engine`	Diesel or fuel-oil reciprocating engines; dominant in small island systems.
Oil unspecified	`oil-unspecified`	Oil capacity whose engine or cycle type is not identified.

Nuclear

Nuclear fission reactors across established and advanced designs.

Technology	Slug	Description
Nuclear	`nuclear`	Parent for all nuclear generation.
Pressurized water reactor	`pressurized-water-reactor`	The most common reactor design worldwide; pressurised primary loop keeps coolant liquid.
Boiling water reactor	`boiling-water-reactor`	Boils water directly in the reactor vessel to drive the turbine.
Advanced boiling water reactor	`advanced-boiling-water`	Generation III evolution of the BWR with passive safety features.
Pressurized heavy water reactor	`pressurized-heavy-water-reactor`	Heavy-water moderated (CANDU-type); runs on natural uranium.
Heavy water gas cooled reactor	`heavy-water-gas-cooled-reactor`	Heavy-water moderated, gas-cooled design.
Heavy water light water reactor	`heavy-water-light-water-reactor`	Hybrid moderated design using both heavy and light water.
Gas cooled reactor	`gas-cooled-reactor`	CO₂- or helium-cooled, graphite-moderated design (e.g. AGR).
High temperature gas reactor	`high-temperature-gas-reactor`	Helium-cooled design reaching very high outlet temperatures.
Light water graphite reactor	`light-water-graphite-reactor`	Graphite-moderated, water-cooled design (RBMK-type).
Fast breeder reactor	`fast-breeder-reactor`	Fast-spectrum reactor breeding more fissile fuel than it consumes.
Fast neutron reactor	`fast-neutron-reactor`	Fast-spectrum reactor without a moderator.
Liquid metal cooled fast reactor	`liquid-metal-cooled-fast-reactor`	Fast reactor cooled by sodium or lead.
Molten salt reactor	`molten-salt-reactor`	Advanced design with fuel dissolved in molten salt coolant.
Steam generating heavy water reactor	`steam-generating-heavy-water-reactor`	Heavy-water moderated design generating steam directly.
Small modular reactor	`small-modular-reactor`	Factory-built reactors under ~300 MW designed for modular deployment.
Nuclear unspecified	`nuclear-unspecified`	Nuclear capacity whose reactor type is not identified.

Solar

Solar generation — photovoltaic and thermal — at utility and domestic scale.

Technology	Slug	Description
Solar	`solar`	Parent for all solar generation.
Photovoltaic	`photovoltaic`	Converts sunlight directly to electricity with semiconductor panels.
Utility scale	`utility-scale`	Grid-scale solar farms.
Domestic scale	`domestic-scale`	Rooftop and behind-the-meter solar.
Concentrated photovoltaic	`concentrated-photovaltaic`	Uses optics to focus sunlight onto high-efficiency cells.
Concentrated solar thermal	`concentrated-solar-thermal`	Mirrors concentrate sunlight to heat a working fluid driving a turbine; can pair with thermal storage.
Solar thermal	`solar-thermal`	Parent for solar-thermal generation.
Integrated solar combined cycle	`integrated-solar-combined-cycle`	Solar-thermal field boosting a gas combined-cycle plant.
Photovoltaic unspecified	`photovoltaic-unspecified`	PV capacity whose scale is not identified.
Solar thermal unspecified	`solar-thermal-unspecified`	Solar-thermal capacity whose design is not identified.
Solar unspecified	`solar-unspecified`	Solar capacity whose technology is not identified.

Wind

Onshore and offshore wind generation.

Technology	Slug	Description
Wind	`wind`	Parent for all wind generation.
Wind onshore	`wind-onshore`	Land-based wind farms.
Wind offshore	`wind-offshore`	Parent for offshore wind.
Wind offshore hard mount	`wind-offshore-hard-mount`	Fixed-bottom offshore turbines in shallower waters.
Wind offshore floating	`wind-offshore-floating`	Floating platforms for deep-water sites.
Wind nearshore intertidal	`wind-nearshore-intertidal`	Turbines in shallow nearshore and intertidal zones.
Wind offshore unspecified	`wind-offshore-unspecified`	Offshore capacity whose foundation type is not identified.
Wind unspecified	`wind-unspecified`	Wind capacity whose siting is not identified.

Hydro

Hydropower, from run-of-river to pumped storage.

Technology	Slug	Description
Hydro	`hydro`	Parent for all hydropower.
Hydro run-of-river	`hydro-run-of-river`	Generates from natural river flow with little or no storage.
Hydro reservoir	`hydro-reservoir`	Dam with a reservoir enabling dispatchable generation.
Hydro reservoir and run-of-river	`hydro-reservoir-and-run-of-river`	Cascades combining reservoir and run-of-river plants.
Hydro pumped storage Storage	`hydro-pumped-storage`	Pumps water uphill when power is cheap, generates when it’s needed; the largest form of grid storage.
Hydro reservoir and pumped storage Storage	`hydro-reservoir-and-pumped-storage`	Facilities combining conventional reservoir generation with pumping.
Hydro pumped storage unspecified Storage	`hydro-pumped-storage-unspecified`	Pumped-storage capacity whose configuration is not identified.
Hydro unspecified	`hydro-unspecified`	Hydro capacity whose type is not identified.

Geothermal

Generation from underground heat; a firm renewable in volcanic regions.

Technology	Slug	Description
Geothermal	`geothermal`	Parent for all geothermal generation.
Geothermal dry steam	`geothermal-dry-steam`	Uses steam drawn directly from the reservoir.
Geothermal flash steam	`geothermal-flash-steam`	Flashes high-pressure hot water to steam at the surface; parent for flash designs.
Geothermal flash steam single	`geothermal-flash-steam-single`	Single-flash design.
Geothermal flash steam double	`geothermal-flash-steam-double`	Double-flash design recovering more energy per well.
Geothermal flash steam triple	`geothermal-flash-steam-triple`	Triple-flash design.
Geothermal binary cycle	`geothermal-binary-cycle`	Transfers reservoir heat to a secondary working fluid; suits lower-temperature resources.
Enhanced geothermal system	`enhanced-geothermal-system`	Engineered reservoirs created by fracturing hot dry rock.
Geothermal flash steam unspecified	`geothermal-flash-steam-unspecified`	Flash capacity whose stage count is not identified.
Geothermal unspecified	`geothermal-unspecified`	Geothermal capacity whose design is not identified.

Bioenergy & waste

Generation from biological fuels and municipal waste.

Technology	Slug	Description
Bioenergy	`bioenergy`	Parent for all bio-fuelled generation.
Biomass	`biomass`	Combusts solid biomass such as wood, bagasse, or agricultural residues.
Biogas	`biogas`	Burns methane from anaerobic digestion or landfill gas.
Bio cogeneration	`bio-cogeneration`	Biomass CHP producing electricity and heat, common in industry.
Waste	`waste`	Energy-from-waste plants combusting municipal solid waste.
Bioenergy unspecified	`bioenergy-unspecified`	Bio capacity whose fuel or design is not identified.

Marine

Generation from ocean energy.

Technology	Slug	Description
Marine	`marine`	Parent for ocean-energy generation.
Tidal	`tidal`	Generates from tidal flows or range.
Wave	`wave`	Generates from surface wave motion.
Marine unspecified	`marine-unspecified`	Marine capacity whose technology is not identified.

Storage

Technologies that shift energy through time rather than generate it. All carry the Storage flag.

Technology	Slug	Description
Storage	`storage`	Parent for all storage technologies.
Battery	`battery`	Parent for electrochemical storage.
Battery energy storage system	`battery-energy-storage-system`	Grid-scale battery installations.
Lithium-ion	`lithium-ion`	The dominant battery chemistry; high round-trip efficiency, hours-scale duration.
Vanadium	`vanadium`	Vanadium redox flow batteries; decoupled power and energy, suited to longer durations.
Battery unspecified	`battery-unspecified`	Battery capacity whose chemistry is not identified.
Ammonia	`ammonia`	Ammonia as an energy carrier for storage or fuel use.

For pumped hydro storage, see the Hydro family.

Cross-cutting & aggregate

Labels used where source data reports capacity at an aggregate level, or where a modifier applies across families.

Technology	Slug	Description
Thermal	`thermal`	Aggregate for unattributed thermal generation.
Steam turbine	`steam-turbine`	Generic steam-cycle plant where the fuel is not distinguished.
Circulating fluidized bed	`circulating-fluidized-bed`	Generic fluidised-bed combustion where the fuel is not distinguished.
Cofiring	`cofiring`	Aggregate for multi-fuel plants.
Cogeneration	`cogeneration`	Aggregate for combined heat and power.
Carbon capture and storage	`carbon-capture-and-storage`	Aggregate for capture-equipped plants.
Renewables	`renewables`	Aggregate for unattributed renewable capacity.
Low carbon	`low-carbon`	Aggregate for unattributed low-carbon capacity.
Thermal unspecified	`thermal-unspecified`	Thermal capacity with no further detail.
Cofiring unspecified	`cofiring-unspecified`	Co-firing capacity with no further detail.
Cogeneration unspecified	`cogeneration-unspecified`	CHP capacity with no further detail.
CCS unspecified	`ccs-unspecified`	Capture-equipped capacity with no further detail.

Network & trade

Technologies that move energy between geographies rather than generate it.

Technology	Slug	Description
Transmission	`transmission`	High-voltage lines within a model geography.
Interconnection	`interconnection`	Links between model geographies; capacity is defined between node pairs.
Import	`import`	Electricity imported across the model boundary.
Export	`export`	Electricity exported across the model boundary.

Where technologies appear

Surface	What you’ll see
Scenario creation	The Technologies field lists the calibrated set; deselect to exclude.
Workspace data grid	One row per technology per input type — capacities, costs, efficiencies.
Results charts	Capacity and generation series coloured by the technology palette above.
AMP	Ask the assistant to edit inputs for a technology by name.

Platform

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Feedback

Technologies in your scenario

Deselecting technologies and calibration

Technology directory

Where technologies appear

​Technologies in your scenario

​Deselecting technologies and calibration

​Technology directory

​Where technologies appear

Technologies in your scenario

Deselecting technologies and calibration

Technology directory

Where technologies appear