Is it necessary to open GAMS-based energy system models?
Reasons:
- access for open source community
- collaboration with non-degree granting institution / smaller institutions / commercial usage
- incentive for users - python more common for new users / python can be utilized for much more things and tools
- much easier to get help from online community (may not be true for pyomo but for python)
Reason not to switch
- knowledge about GAMS
- saving time
- model building is faster usually in GAMS than in python
Possibilities to make it more open:
- providing the GAMS-code and data pre-processing
- translation, having two languages side by side (maintenance problem)
- translation and switching (experience problem)
The translating part seems not be the big one decision barrier, but rather an institutional strategic decision: Attracting younger researcher for example.
Following-up:
- asking experience from Sylvain from JRC DISPA-SET (GAMS and python provided)
- someone from Osemosys (3 parallel languages)