setup intro page

workshop-pypsa-transnetbw/intro.md

@@ -1,6 +1,25 @@
-# Welcome to the PyPSA workshop at TransnetBW
+# Welcome to the PyPSA workshop
 
-## Using Python for Energy System Modelling
+Hosted by TransnetBW, January 2025
+
+### Acknowledgements
+
+We acknowledge support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) under Grant No. 03EI4083A (RESILIENT) jointly with the [CETPartnership](https://cetpartnership.eu/) through the Joint Call 2022.
+
+More about the RESILIENT project: https://resilient-project.github.io/
+
+
+## Google Colab
+
+You can work with the workshop materials without a local Python installation using online service [Google Colab](https://colab.google) which provides an online Python environment. This requires a Google account.
+
+Open any jupyter notebook and click on the rocket 🚀 in the top right corner. It will launch a Colab workspace in your browser and automatically installs [the python environment for this course](
+https://github.com/Irieo/workshop-pypsa-transnetbw/blob/main/requirements.txt). 
+
+If that does not work download the `.ipynb` file and import it in [Google Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/)
+
+
+## Setting up your Python environment locally
 
 ### Anaconda
 
@@ -20,71 +39,19 @@ desktop application. Instructions for this are given on the [Anaconda
 Website](https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/user-guide/getting-started/#write-a-python-program-using-anaconda-prompt-or-terminal).
 From the Anaconda Prompt, you should be able to run `conda`.
 
-### Lightweight `miniconda`
-
-If you don't want the full Anaconda Python Distribution, there is a lightweight
-alternative installation called
-[`miniconda`](https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html).
-
-### Google Colab
-
-You can even do the course without a local Python installation using online
-services like [Google Colab (colab.google)](https://colab.google) which provide
-an online Python environment. This requires a Google account.
-
 ## Managing environments with `conda`
 
 Python coupled with a package manager provides a way to make isolated,
 reproducible _environments_ where you have control over all installed packages
 and configurations.
 
-First, check that you have access to `conda` in your _terminal_ or _Anaconda Prompt_ application by typing:
-
-    conda --version
-
-To create a conda environment, you execute the following command:
-
-    conda create --name my_environment python=3.11 numpy
+Here is [a great short article](https://towardsdatascience.com/conda-essential-concepts-and-tricks-e478ed53b5b) that contains all the essential concepts and tips about using `conda`.
 
-To use this environment, simply _activate_ it by executing:
+### Tip: use lightweight `miniconda`
 
-    conda activate my_environment
+Do yourself a favor --- use a lightweight installation called
+[`miniconda`](https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html). It is very likely that you don't want the full Anaconda Python Distribution.
 
-You should now see the string `(my_environment)` prepended to your prompt.
-Now, any execution of Python will use the packages installed in your _environment_ "my_environment".
-
-To install additional packages into your environment:
-
-    conda install <package-name>
-
-Some packages are community-maintained (e.g. `conda-forge`) and require you to specify a different "channel", i.e. a different source:
-
-    conda install -c conda-forge <package-name>
-
-You can deactivate your environment by typing:
-
-    conda deactivate
-
-To see all the environments on your system:
-
-    conda env list
-
-To get a complete summary of all the packages installed in your environment, run
-
-    conda list
-
-If you want to permanently remove an environment and delete all the data
-associated with it:
-
-    conda env remove --name my_environment --all
-
-A conda environment can also be defined through an `environment.yaml` file. With that file, a new environment with the exact
-configuration can be installed by executing
-
-    conda env create -f my_environment.yml
-
-For extensive documentation on using environments, please see
-[the conda documentation](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/concepts/environments.html).
 
 ## Environment for this course: `workshop`
 
@@ -105,8 +72,6 @@ Activate this environment
 
     conda activate workshop
 
-This environment should be sufficient for all of your work in this course.
-
 The environment has to be activated whenever you open a new terminal,
 *before* starting a new Jupyter window with