EnergyX: An Open-Source, Comprehensive Energy Systems Engineering Library for the Elixir Programming Language
Abstract
EnergyX is a comprehensive, open-source energy systems engineering library implemented in the Elixir programming language. The library provides 513 documented functions across 76 submodules, spanning the complete spectrum of energy engineering: renewable energy (solar PV/CSP/PVT, wind, wave/tidal/OTEC, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass), fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum), nuclear (fission, fuel cycles, SMR, fusion basics), hydrogen and fuel cells, energy storage, HVAC and refrigeration (psychrometrics, vapor compression, absorption cycles, cooling towers), electrical systems (motor IE classes, VFD, power factor, transformers, grid), thermal-fluid sciences (thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, 14 dimensionless numbers), industrial processes (pinch analysis via the Problem Table Algorithm, compressed air, steam systems, heavy industry), building energy, transportation (EV, aviation, shipping), water–energy nexus (desalination, water treatment), carbon accounting and lifecycle assessment, carbon capture and storage, project finance (DSCR, Monte Carlo LCOE), microgrid design, thermoeconomics (SPECO method), and ISO 50001 energy auditing. The library is distributed via Hex.pm, validated against canonical textbook results and international standards, and ships with 10 interactive Livebook notebooks for education and project scoping.
Keywords
References
- [1] W.F. Holmgren, C.W. Hansen, and M.A. Mikofski, 'pvlib python,' J. Open Source Software, vol. 3, no. 29, p. 884, 2018.
- [2] windpowerlib library, https://windpowerlib.readthedocs.io, 2024.
- [3] T. Brown, J. Hörsch, and D. Schlachtberger, 'PyPSA,' J. Open Research Software, vol. 6, no. 1, 2018.
- [4] H.-K. Ringkjøb, P.M. Haugan, and I.M. Solbrekke, "A review of modelling tools for energy and electricity systems with large shares of variable renewables," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 96, pp. 440–459, 2018.
- [5] S. Pfenninger, A. Hawkes, and J. Keirstead, "Energy systems modeling for twenty-first century energy challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 33, pp. 74–86, 2014.
- [6] C. Müller, A. Hoffmann, and K. Frenzel, "Open-source energy system modelling: status, role and barriers," Energy Strategy Reviews, vol. 30, p. 100488, 2020.
- [7] J. Valim, 'Elixir - A modern approach to programming for the Erlang VM,' in Proc. SPLASH, 2014.
- [8] J. Valim et al., 'Livebook,' https://livebook.dev, 2021.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Energy Systems Engineering (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Mert Ökten
*
0000-0003-0077-4471
Türkiye
Publication Date
July 2, 2026
Submission Date
April 18, 2026
Acceptance Date
June 18, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 2 Number: 2