BackboneTools 2026.0.1

BackboneTools is a Python package for working with Backbone.

Backbone Tools

Tools to work with input and output data of the energy system modelling framework Backbone.

An important prerequisite is to have GAMS installed on your system, as this packages calls certain GAMS commands through python.

A detailled documentation can be found here: https://backbonetools.readthedocs.io.

Result parameters as DataFrames

This is likely one of the core use cases. The BackboneResult-class enables easy access to all symbols.

from backbonetools.io import BackboneResult

# load result
result = BackboneResult("path/to/result.gdx")

# any symbol is available as DataFrame
gen_df = result.r_gen_gnuft()
gen_df.head()

This may yield something like this:

	grid	node	unit	f	t	Val
0	elec	AT0 0	AT0 0 CCGT	f00	6	3295.9
1	elec	AT0 0	AT0 0 CCGT	f00	7	3295.9
2	elec	AT0 0	AT0 0 CCGT	f00	8	3295.9
3	elec	AT0 0	AT0 0 CCGT	f00	9	3295.9
4	elec	AT0 0	AT0 0 CCGT	f00	10	3295.9

Analysing multiple related results

In a similar manner, multiplep results (e.g., from a Sensitivity analyis) can be analysed. To do so, place all result files in a directory and follow these steps.

from backbonetools.io import BackboneScenarioAnalysis

# load all results in a directory
sa = BackboneScenarioAnalysis("path/to/result_dir")

# result symbols are available similarly
sa_gen_df = sa.r_gen_gnuft()

The difference between sa_gen_df and gen_df from above is that sa_gen_df has an additional column indicating to which result file the values adhere.