RESOLVE#

Welcome to the new RESOLVE documentation! These docs are periodically updated and improved for better user experience. Note that for most up-to-dated information, you are encouraged to visit the Github RESOLVE repository.

RESOLVE is a least-cost capacity expansion model that identifies optimal electricity supply portfolios through capacity expansion and production simulation modeling. Optimal investment plans account for the capital costs of new resources, the variable costs of reliably operating the grid, and additional values such as environmental attributes. RESOLVE has been used to support resource planning and valuation for dozens of clients across North America.

More detailed information along with relevant projects and reports that have leaned on RESOLVE can be found on this webpage.

resolve-baseball-card.png

RESOLVE was initially developed in 2014 to assess the investment needs of systems seeking to integrate large quantities of variable renewable resources. Since then, many new modeling features and developments are done to enhance the modeling capabilities. The latest version is RESOLVE 3.0, released in summer 2025.

RESOLVE Data Flow#

RESOLVE uses a combination of Excel spreadsheet, Jupyter notebooks, and Python scripts. This documentation will briefly cover each step.

resolve-data-flow.png

Contact Us#

Please file bug reports on GitHub.

For support from E3 staff related to the CPUC IRP proceeding, standing office hours are available on Wednesdays 9-10 AM (PST). In order to attend, you should register using this link

For any other questions or more information on RESOLVE and E3’s other modeling tools, email us: platform@ethree.com.

Kicking it off#

Now that we have some background on what RESOLVE is, let’s understand and walk through the steps of running RESOLVE and plan clean and reliable electric systems. 👷‍♂️🏗️