PyPSA MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets LLMs like Claude build, configure, and optimize energy system models using PyPSA through natural language.

Demo

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5633a431-7c3b-4a2f-9a9e-395dcbbb2e29

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What's New in 0.2.0

Bug fixes

• Rolling horizon — fixed setting an array element with a sequence crash caused by PyPSA's _set_dynamic_data mishandling single-column pnl DataFrames when slicing snapshot windows. Fixed via a dup2-level _patch_set_dynamic_data context manager.
• MGA single-column crash — same root cause in optimize_mga post-processing. Fixed by patching both pypsa.optimization.common and pypsa.optimization.optimize before each MGA call.
• Stale results after infeasible solve — run_simulation was returning cached dispatch from a prior successful solve when a subsequent solve was infeasible. Now returns a clean null response with an explicit infeasibility_note.
• compute_infeasibilities with HiGHS — instead of silently returning wrong results, the server now correctly reports that this flag requires Gurobi in PyPSA 1.x and suggests the load-shedding VoLL workaround.
• HiGHS stdout pollution — HiGHS writes solver logs via C-level stdio, bypassing Python's sys.stdout. Fixed by redirecting fd 1 → fd 2 with os.dup2 around every solver call, keeping the MCP stdio stream clean.
• Silent fallbacks in statistics — replaced silent zero-fill fallbacks with fail-fast errors that include actionable messages.

Simulation modes validated end-to-end

All 8 modes now confirmed working: pf, lpf, optimize, mga, security_constrained, rolling_horizon, transmission_expansion_iterative, optimize_and_pf.

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Features

22 MCP tools across 10 modules:

Module	Tools
Management	create_energy_model, list_models, delete_model, export_model_summary
Discovery	list_component_types, describe_component
Components	add_component, update_component, remove_component, query_components
Time config	configure_time (snapshots, investment periods, scenarios, CVaR risk preference)
Simulation	run_simulation (8 modes)
Statistics	get_statistics (19 metrics)
Clustering	cluster_network (spatial: kmeans/hac/greedy; temporal: resample/downsample/segment)
I/O	network_io (export/import NetCDF & CSV, copy, merge, consistency check)
Deprecated	add_bus, add_generator, add_load, add_line, set_snapshots, run_powerflow, run_optimization

13 component types: Bus, Generator, Load, Line, Link, StorageUnit, Store, Transformer, ShuntImpedance, Carrier, GlobalConstraint, LineType, TransformerType.

Simulation modes:

• optimize — linear OPF, capacity expansion, CO2 constraints, multi-investment periods, unit commitment
• rolling_horizon — limited-foresight dispatch with configurable horizon and overlap
• mga — Modeling to Generate Alternatives (near-optimal solution space exploration)
• security_constrained — N-1 contingency-constrained OPF
• transmission_expansion_iterative — iterative TEP with PTDF-based congestion
• pf / lpf — non-linear and linearized power flow
• optimize_and_pf — optimization followed by non-linear power flow

Advanced modelling: sector coupling (Links with multiple outputs), CVaR risk preference, scenario-based optimization, temporal/spatial network clustering, load shedding via VoLL dummy generators.

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Installation

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• uv (recommended)

From PyPI

pip install pypsamcp
# or
uv pip install pypsamcp

Running the server

pypsamcp

Claude Desktop configuration

Locate ~/.config/Claude/config.json and add:

"mcpServers": {
  "PyPSA MCP": {
    "command": "uv",
    "args": ["run", "--with", "pypsamcp", "pypsamcp"]
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Development installation

git clone https://github.com/cdgaete/pypsa-mcp.git
cd pypsa-mcp
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
python -m pypsamcp.server

For development with Claude Desktop, point directly to the virtualenv Python so source changes are picked up immediately:

"mcpServers": {
  "PyPSA-MCP-Dev": {
    "command": "/home/carlos/projects/pypsa-mcp/.venv/bin/python",
    "args": ["-m", "pypsamcp.server"]
  }
}

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Usage examples

Minimal dispatch model

Build a single-bus model with coal (300 MW, €20/MWh), gas (200 MW, €80/MWh),
and solar (150 MW, free) over 24 hourly snapshots. Add a diurnal load profile
peaking at 310 MW. Run OPF and explain the dispatch and marginal prices.

Sector coupling — power + hydrogen + heat

Build a model with an AC bus, H2 bus, and heat bus. Add 400 MW wind,
a 200 MW gas backup, an extendable PEM electrolyzer (70% efficiency,
€120k/MW), a heat pump (COP=3, €60k/MW), a district heating load,
and a flat 20 MW H2 industrial demand. Run OPF and compare the heat pump
against a gas boiler alternative.

Transmission expansion planning

Build a 3-bus ring (North: coal + wind, South: gas + heavy load, East: solar + load).
Set all lines to 50 MW with capital cost. Run OPF to show congestion and LMP divergence,
then run transmission_expansion_iterative to find the optimal line investments.

Rolling horizon with battery

Add a 100 MW / 4h battery to the dispatch model and run rolling_horizon
with horizon=6 and overlap=2. Compare the battery's intraday arbitrage
against perfect-foresight OPF.

Multi-investment periods

Build a model with two planning years (2025, 2030). Solar capital cost drops
from €50k/MW in 2025 to €30k/MW in 2030. Coal is fixed. Show when the
optimizer invests in solar and the resulting scarcity prices.

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Known limitations

• compute_infeasibilities=True requires Gurobi. With HiGHS, diagnose infeasibility using load-shedding generators (set marginal_cost to a high VoLL such as €10,000/MWh on each bus).
• Temporal clustering with method="segment" requires tsam (pip install tsam).
• CVaR scenario-differentiated time series (different p_max_pu or marginal costs per scenario) must be set manually via update_component with per-snapshot values after scenario configuration.
• Model state is in-memory only; models are lost on server restart. Use network_io with operation="export_netcdf" to persist, and operation="import_netcdf" to reload.

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Changelog

0.2.0 (2026-03-20)

Bug fixes

• Fixed rolling horizon crash (setting an array element with a sequence) via _patch_set_dynamic_data context manager
• Fixed MGA post-processing crash for single-component models via _patch_single_column_pnl
• Fixed stale results returned after infeasible solve — now returns clean null response
• Fixed compute_infeasibilities silently returning wrong results with HiGHS — now returns actionable guidance
• Fixed HiGHS C-level stdout pollution via os.dup2 fd redirection in stdout_to_stderr context manager
• Fixed silent fallbacks in get_statistics — replaced with fail-fast errors

Confirmed working: all 8 simulation modes, all 19 statistics metrics, all 13 component types

0.1.4

• Initial public release with 22 tools across 10 modules
• Simulation: pf, lpf, optimize, mga, security_constrained, rolling_horizon, transmission_expansion_iterative, optimize_and_pf
• Components: full CRUD for all 13 PyPSA component types
• Statistics: 19 metrics including capacity factors, energy balance, market values, transmission
• Clustering: spatial (kmeans, hac, greedy_modularity) and temporal (resample, downsample, segment)
• I/O: NetCDF/CSV export-import, copy, merge, consistency check

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Acknowledgments

• PyPSA — power system modelling framework
• FastMCP — MCP server framework
• HiGHS — open-source LP/MIP solver