iDesignRES is holding an online workshop on Tuesday 8 September 2026, from 14:00 to 16:00 CEST, to introduce external users and researchers to the project's Scenario Explorer and Cloud Hub, the open database and cloud platform behind the project's energy system modelling work. As iDesignRES develops toward its later stages, opening these tools to the wider research community becomes central to the project's mission: giving public authorities, network operators, and independent researchers direct, hands-on access to open-source planning tools, rather than results confined to reports and papers. This workshop is a first step in that direction, aiming to encourage wider adoption of the platform while gathering the practical feedback needed to co-develop guidelines and supporting materials for future users looking to add their own data or adapt the tools to their own cases, requirements, and constraints. The session is organised by Pedro Crespo del Granado, Pankaj Ravindra Gode, Felipe van de Sande Araujo, Leonhard Gandhi, and Daniel Huppmann.
The workshop runs across four sessions over two hours. Session 1, Opening & framing (14:00-14:25): NTNU, the project's coordinator, opens with a welcome and an introduction to iDesignRES, framing the workshop's goals. NTNU and SINTEF then present the project's Energy Vision scenarios and set up the main case that will run through the rest of the session. Session 2, Scenario Explorer (14:25-14:55): IIASA gives a high-level introduction to navigating the Scenario Explorer, followed by a detailed, live walkthrough of the North Sea use case, led by North Sea researchers together with E3M and PSI. Session 3, Cloud Hub (14:55-15:30): NTNU introduces the Cloud Hub's features, followed by detailed, practical examples using the EMX and EMPIRE models. Session 4, Usability & feedback (15:30-16:00): Participants split into breakout rooms to give input on adding their own data, adapting the tools to their needs, and drafting usability guidelines, before a short wrap-up on next steps.
