(part1)=
# PART I: TIMES CONCEPTS AND THEORY

Part I comprises five divisions, each containing a number of chapters:

- Chapters {numref}`%s <part-1-intro>` and {numref}`%s <the-basic-structure-of-the-core>` provide a general overview of the representation in TIMES of the Reference Energy System (RES) of a typical region or country, focusing on its basic elements, namely technologies and commodities.
- Chapters {numref}`%s <economic-rationale-of-the-times>` to {numref}`%s <the-times-climate-module>` describe the core TIMES model generator, i.e. the dynamic partial equilibrium version with perfect foresight: {numref}`Chapter %s <economic-rationale-of-the-times>` discusses the economic rationale of the model, and {numref}`Chapter %s <core-times-model-mathematics>` describes in more detail than {numref}`Chapter %s <economic-rationale-of-the-times>` the elastic demand feature and other economic and mathematical properties of the TIMES equilibrium. {numref}`Chapter %s <core-times-model-a-simplified>` presents a streamlined representation of the Linear Program used by TIMES to compute the equilibrium. {numref}`Chapter %s <parametric-analysis-with-times>` describes a new TIMES feature for conducting systematic sensitivity analyses. {numref}`Chapter %s <the-times-climate-module>` describes the Climate Module of TIMES.
- Chapters {numref}`%s <stochastic-programming-extension>` to {numref}`%s <the-endogenous-technological-learning-extension>` contain descriptions of 4 extensions or variants that, if used, depart from the assumptions of the core model in a way that alters the nature of the equilibrium: {numref}`Chapter %s <stochastic-programming-extension>` covers the stochastic programming variant, which no longer assumes perfect foresight, but rather imperfect foresight; {numref}`Chapter %s <using-times-with-limited-foresight>` describes the myopic use of TIMES, which violates the perfect foresight property and replaces it with limited foresight; {numref}`Chapter %s <the-lumpy-investment-extension>` describes the lumpy investment variant where some decisions are discrete rather than continuous, and thus violate the convexity property; {numref}`Chapter %s <the-endogenous-technological-learning-extension>` describes the endogenous technology learning extension, also involving non-convex elements.
- {numref}`Chapter %s <general-equilibrium-extensions>` is devoted to two extensions that make TIMES into a General Equilibrium model, namely ES-MACRO and TIMES-MERGE-MACRO.
- Chapters {numref}`%s <history-of-times>` and {numref}`%s <appendix-b-linear-programming>` constitute appendices that may be of interest to readers at any point in their use of the rest of the text. {numref}`Chapter %s <history-of-times>` provides a brief history and comparison of TIMES and MARKAL, the modeling framework that preceded TIMES. {numref}`Chapter %s <appendix-b-linear-programming>` provides a short review of the theoretical foundation of Linear Programming and the interpretation of the dual solution of a linear program.

```{toctree}
---
hidden:
numbered:
titlesonly:
glob:
---
*
```