The EMERGE project – Energy System Modelling for Green Development of Africa – funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme, has reached its halfway point. Running from December 2023 to November 2026, the 36-month project brings together 11 multidisciplinary partners from 9 countries across Europe and Africa—five from the EU and four from the AU—ensuring a well-balanced geographic and institutional representation. The project aims to connect knowledge, accelerate the clean energy transition, and capitalize on its outputs through inclusive modelling, knowledge transfer, and decision-support tools.

Project partners include: UNIZAG-FSB – Project Coordinator (HR), AfriLabs (NG), Artelys (FR), BrainIT (HR), CARTIF (ES), CIRCE (ES), ECREEE (CV), Eduardo Mondlane University – UEM (MZ), EnGreen (IT), ESEIA – European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance (AT), and Mohamed First University (MA).

At the centre of this mission lies the EMERGE Toolbox—a modular suite of open-access tools designed to support context-adapted energy system planning and implementation in Africa.

Building the Foundation: From Knowledge to Tools

During the first project phase, the EMERGE consortium developed a robust Knowledge Base and a participatory Engagement Methodology (Deliverable D1.1), integrating technical energy modelling with the realities of local governance, infrastructure, and community needs. This foundation was supported by a thorough analysis of policy barriers across the three demo regions—Morocco, Mozambique, and the Niger River Basin—culminating in Deliverable D1.2, which outlined tailored policy pathways for green transition.

These efforts fed directly into the design of the Toolbox architecture, presented in Deliverable D2.1, which defines its modular structure, interfaces, and integration into national and regional planning frameworks.

EMERGE Toolbox: A Technological Backbone

The EMERGE Toolbox offers a suite of innovative methods, algorithms, and platforms designed to sustain the green energy transition in Africa. It includes cutting-edge functionalities such as seamless integration of flexible energy assets, powerful visualization and data analysis interfaces, and advanced model-based algorithms for comprehensive energy system analysis and decision-making.

What sets the EMERGE Toolbox apart is its open-source, software-agnostic solutions tailored to optimize energy systems. It is built on a Common System Architecture (CSA) that integrates economic, social, environmental, and technical requirements. Developed through a collaborative process with citizens and energy sector stakeholders, the Toolbox is both technically robust and locally relevant.

This collaborative approach, combined with technical standards and a thorough review of regulatory frameworks and market models, ensures the EMERGE Toolbox delivers solutions that are not only innovative but also practical and adaptable to the evolving energy landscape.

Toolbox in Action: Operational Tools and Regional Applications

The EMERGE Toolbox is a dynamic modelling suite comprising several functional components, each addressing key aspects of energy system design and sustainability. As of the 18-month mark, three tools have achieved significant operational status:

CEPIA and PowSyBl-METRIX Tools – developed by Artelys, FR

CEPIA (Climate-Energy Policies Impact Assessment) Tool is an Excel-based tool that enables user-friendly assessment of energy-climate trajectories through economic, technical, and environmental indicators. It supports long-term energy planning across sectors such as energy, transport, industry, and residential. The tool simulates various policy and technology scenarios and evaluates their effects on emissions, system costs, energy dependency, and network loads.

PowSyBl-METRIX Tool is an open-source framework used by European TSOs for electrical grid modelling. Within EMERGE, the METRIX module enables power flow calculations with hourly time resolution. It supports base case and contingency analysis, allowing simulations for transmission planning and optimization of power flows.

Building on partners’ engagement and local knowledge, Artelys is adjusting and strengthening the EMERGE simulation framework for energy-climate scenarios, based on its Climate-Energy Policies Impact Assessment (CEPIA) tool. During this first half of EMERGE project, Artelys has been working with AU partners to enhance its existing modelling framework and tailor it to the specific needs and characteristics of African stakeholders.

”One major milestone was achieved with the first AU-EU exchange (held in Paris from 28^th to 31^st January), where a first version of the CEPIA tool was shared to AU partners and a training session took place, along with a collaborative workshop to design the relevant scenarios and make operational use of the tool for each of the 3 EMERGE Use Cases. Following these training and workshop sessions, AU partners are now working with CEPIA tool to further analyze energy-climate policies impacts and improve assumptions on energy-climate future scenarios with their local knowledge.”

— Alexis Godefroy, Artelys

GREENADVISE Tool– developed by UNIZAG-FSB, HR

GREENADVISE is a decision-support tool that determines optimal renewable energy capacities and storage systems for a given location. It calculates hourly optimized system operation based on energy demand, technology costs, weather data, and more. The tool delivers outputs such as system costs (CAPEX, OPEX), emissions reductions, energy balances, and financial savings.

It is accessible to non-experts such as citizens and local civil society groups. An expert version under development will support stochastic and robust modelling. Furthermore, integration with the EMERGE database will automate input data and improve user experience

The first version of the GREENADVISE tool has been completed, fully developed in the Python programming language. This version includes dynamic calculations of energy flows and financial performance based on user inputs. The core of the user inputs consists of geographical data, renewable technology specifications, battery and thermal storage configurations, as well as thermal and electricity demand and electricity price data.

In the GREENADVISE tool, users can input data for the following technologies: photovoltaic panels (PV), wind turbines, solar collectors, battery storage systems, heat pumps, and buffer tanks. Through the use of geographical data, the tool enables the retrieval of measured weather data via an external API call to the open-source platform Renewables.ninja. Users can choose how their calculations are performed—either by fetching output from Renewables.ninja, uploading their own measured data, or simulating data based on theoretical inputs. For thermal demand, users can calculate their needs using degree day logic or upload their own measured data. For electricity demand, users can rely on our base load power curve with hourly distribution, or input their own data depending on their preference. For electricity price upload is also possible, as well as option of using day-ahead prices of several countries, single or dual tariff system.

”One of our most notable achievements is the implementation of a comprehensive logic for energy flow. This includes hourly time-series calculations spanning an entire year, which determine whether energy should be consumed, stored, or sold based on current conditions. We optimize energy flow with the goal of minimizing grid imports and maximizing the use of renewable energy, while also selling excess energy during high-price periods. Every energy transfer between technologies is verified based on technical constraints and both physical and economic logic.”

— Nikola Matak, UNIZAG – FSB, Project Coordinator

Optimal Storage Placement Tool & Hosting Capacity Tool – developed by CIRCE, ES

Optimal Storage Placement Tool identifies the best locations to deploy energy storage systems using optimization algorithms based on grid topology, demand patterns, renewable forecasts, and cost factors. It supports scenario analysis and adapts to various storage technologies.

Hosting Capacity Tool assesses the capacity of the grid to integrate new renewable generation without compromising stability. It supports investment planning and identifies infrastructure limits through simulations of voltage stability, line overloads, and contingency events.

“Both tools are currently operational, enabling us to generate results and calculate key performance indicators (KPIs). One of our most significant achievements has been the successful development of power system models for Morocco and Mozambique, based on the data provided by project participants. This allows us to apply the tools to real-world systems and obtain relevant, actionable insights.

— Adrián Alarcón Becerra, CIRCE

Toolbox Integration & Data Infrastructure – developed by BrainIT, HR

At BrainIT, significant progress has been made in developing and connecting the data infrastructure that powers the EMERGE tools—ensuring every component has the necessary data to function effectively.

The EMERGE database has been set up and filled with data provided by the project partners. It’s now going through an early testing phase, where partners and stakeholders are exploring its features and providing input to enhance usability and overall experience.

We’re seeing great synergy across all teams—partners, stakeholders, and tool developers are actively contributing to all aspects of data handling, from sourcing and organizing to visualizing it. This collective effort is helping ensure that diverse data sources are effectively aligned and made usable across different tools.

A dedicated dashboard interface, developed as part of the project’s Knowledge Base, offers access to the data stored in the database. While it’s currently available only in a development setting, it’s already supporting test exports and helping tool developers access the necessary datasets in .csv format.

Work is also ongoing to finalize a standardized structure for incoming data, based on the Common System Architecture (CSA), to ensure consistency and smooth future integration.

“Our focus at BrainIT has been to ensure that every EMERGE tool is supported by a reliable and well-structured data infrastructure. From setting up the central database to developing a user-friendly dashboard and aligning diverse data sources, we’re creating the backbone that enables seamless tool integration and real-world applicability. This collaborative effort across partners is key to making the Toolbox both technically sound and locally relevant.”
— Fabijan Kozina, BrainIT

Note: The data displayed in the EMERGE Dashboard screenshots is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent real partner data.

Integration with Ethics, Governance, and Open Science

The development and deployment of the Toolbox are guided by a comprehensive Data and Ethics Management Plan (DEMP) and Open Science framework, outlined in Deliverables D7.2 and D6.1. These documents ensure data protection, stakeholder privacy, and full compliance with EU ethical standards, while promoting transparency and reuse of project outputs.

Moreover, EMERGE places strong emphasis on capacity building through training workshops, stakeholder co-design activities, and knowledge sharing events—key to enabling African partners to fully adopt and extend the Toolbox solutions beyond the project’s lifespan.

What’s Next?

With 18 months remaining, the EMERGE consortium is now focused on:

• Completing power system models for Mali;
• Enhancing the Toolbox’s user interface and visualisation features;
• Supporting local implementation through further stakeholder engagement and pilot feedback;
• Scaling the Toolbox for regional and national planning processes.

By offering a replicable, context-sensitive model for energy transition, EMERGE is on track to significantly impact how energy systems are planned and governed in Africa—bringing practical, data-driven tools to the forefront of green development.