Use metadata aeo_base_year instead of datetime.today().year for deterministic results

Replace dynamic datetime.today().year with aeo_base_year from metadata.json
in ecm_prep_vars.py, htcl_totals.py, and run.py to ensure reproducible
integration test results across calendar year boundaries.

Co-authored-by: jmythms <[email protected]>

Author: Copilot

inputs/metadata.json

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {
   "min year": 2020,
-  "max year": 2050
+  "max year": 2050,
+  "aeo_base_year": 2025
 }

scout/ecm_prep_vars.py

@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 import itertools
 import numpy
 import pandas as pd
-from datetime import datetime
 from collections import OrderedDict
 from scout.utils import JsonIO
 from scout.config import FilePaths as fp
@@ -168,11 +167,11 @@ def __init__(self, base_dir, handyfiles, opts):
         self.discount_rate = 0.07
         self.nsamples = 100
         self.regions = opts.alt_regions
-        # Shorthand for current year
-        self.current_yr = datetime.today().year
         # Load metadata including AEO year range
         aeo_yrs = JsonIO.load_json(handyfiles.metadata)
-        # Set minimum modeling year to current year
+        # Shorthand for current year (based on AEO data vintage)
+        self.current_yr = aeo_yrs["aeo_base_year"]
+        # Set minimum modeling year to AEO base year
         aeo_min = self.current_yr
         # Set maximum modeling year
         aeo_max = aeo_yrs["max year"]

scout/htcl_totals.py

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import json
 from collections import OrderedDict
-from datetime import datetime
 import gzip
 from scout.config import FilePaths as fp
 
@@ -106,9 +105,8 @@ def __init__(self, handyfiles):
                 raise ValueError(
                     "Error reading in '" +
                     handyfiles.metadata + "': " + str(e)) from None
-        # Set minimum AEO modeling year
-        # aeo_min = aeo_yrs["min year"]
-        aeo_min = datetime.today().year
+        # Set minimum AEO modeling year to AEO base year
+        aeo_min = aeo_yrs["aeo_base_year"]
         # Set maximum AEO modeling year
         aeo_max = aeo_yrs["max year"]
         # Derive time horizon from min/max years

scout/run.py

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 import math
 from argparse import ArgumentParser, ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter
 import numpy_financial as npf
-from datetime import datetime
 from scout.plots import run_plot
 from scout.config import Config, FilePaths as fp
 from scout.utils import PrintFormat as fmt
@@ -250,8 +249,8 @@ def __init__(self, handyfiles, opts, brkout, regions, state_appl_regs, codes, bp
             raise ValueError(
                 "Error reading in '" +
                 handyfiles.cpi_data + "': " + str(e)) from None
-        # Set present year for cost conversions
-        yr_before_current = str(datetime.today().year - 1)
+        # Set present year for cost conversions (based on AEO data vintage)
+        yr_before_current = str(int(self.aeo_years[0]) - 1)
         # Years of the baseline stock cost, energy cost, and carbon cost data
         # Note that energy cost data are already adjusted to the year before current in ecm_prep.
         # *** Note: stock/carbon cost units could eventually be pulled from baseline data files