Installation

This guide covers the installation of OSeMOSYS-RDM and its dependencies.

Prerequisites

Before installing OSeMOSYS-RDM, ensure you have the following:

Required Software

Python 3.10+: Required for all execution modes
Conda/Miniconda/Anaconda: Required for DVC automation (optional for manual execution)
At least one solver installed and available in PATH:
- GLPK (free, required for preprocessing)
- CBC (free)
- CPLEX (commercial)
- Gurobi (commercial)

Optional Software

Git: Recommended but not required. The pipeline can run without Git installed.
DVC remote storage: Required if you want to share large artifacts across machines.

Installation Methods

Option 1: Automated Setup (Recommended)

The simplest way to get started is to clone the repository and run the automated setup:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/clg-admin/osemosys-rdm.git
cd osemosys-rdm

# Run the pipeline (this will automatically set up the environment)
python run.py exp

The automated setup will:

Create a Conda environment named OSeMOSYS-RDM-env
Install all required dependencies (pandas, numpy, DVC, etc.)
Install the GLPK and CBC solvers automatically (both are declared in environment.yaml as the conda-forge packages glpk and coincbc)
Initialize DVC if needed
Execute the complete pipeline

Note

Because GLPK and CBC are part of environment.yaml, the automated setup (and any conda env create -f environment.yaml) installs both solvers for you. You only need to install solvers manually if you set up the environment without conda — for example with pip install -r requirements.txt — or if you want a commercial solver (CPLEX/Gurobi). See Solver Installation below.

Option 2: Manual Setup

For more control over the installation process:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/clg-admin/osemosys-rdm.git
cd osemosys-rdm

# Create and activate the conda environment
conda env create -f environment.yaml
conda activate OSeMOSYS-RDM-env

# Alternatively, install with pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Important

The two installation paths differ in how solvers are handled:

conda (conda env create -f environment.yaml): GLPK and CBC are installed automatically, since they are listed in environment.yaml.
pip (pip install -r requirements.txt): GLPK and CBC are not installed — they are not pip packages. You must install them manually (see Solver Installation).

Solver Installation

Note

If you set up the environment with conda (the automated setup or conda env create -f environment.yaml), GLPK and CBC are already installed and you can skip this section. The steps below are only needed for non-conda installs (e.g. pip) or for commercial solvers (CPLEX/Gurobi).

Important

This workflow is designed and tested for Windows only. Linux and macOS support has not been verified and is not recommended at this time.

GLPK (Required)

GLPK is required for preprocessing.

Windows: Download from GLPK for Windows and add to PATH.

Conda (Recommended):

conda install -c conda-forge glpk

CBC (Free, Optional)

CBC often provides better performance than GLPK for larger problems.

Windows: Free versions of CBC for Windows can be downloaded from:

COIN-OR CBC Downloads
Recommended version: Cbc-master-win64-msvc17 (2021-04-27, ~23MB)

After downloading, extract and add the executable to your system PATH.

Conda (Alternative):

conda install -c conda-forge coincbc

Commercial Solvers

For CPLEX or Gurobi:

Obtain a license (academic licenses are often available for free)
Install following the vendor’s instructions
Ensure the solver executable is in your system PATH

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify everything is working:

# Check Python version
python --version

# Check solver availability
glpsol --version

# Check DVC installation
dvc --version

# Run a quick test
python run.py exp --help

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Solver not found

If you get a “solver not found” error:

Verify the solver is installed: glpsol --version or cbc -version
Check that the solver is in your PATH
For commercial solvers, verify the license is valid

Environment issues

If you encounter environment problems:

# Remove and recreate the environment
conda env remove -n OSeMOSYS-RDM-env
conda env create -f environment.yaml

Import errors

If you get import errors for Python packages:

# Reinstall dependencies
conda activate OSeMOSYS-RDM-env
pip install -r requirements.txt

Next Steps

Once installation is complete:

Read the Quickstart Guide to run your first analysis
Learn about Configuration options
Explore the Workflow Overview