The discussion of energy issues, e.g. the introduction of renewables, has over the last decades gained more importance and visibility due to the increasing focus on climate change. However, most energy models used for planning and policy analysis are too complex for non-experts to use. We suggest and demonstrate how an energy model for renewable electricity generation can be used by non-experts to understand and test the influence of different regulatory policies on the development of renewable generation. The model is based on a system dynamics model with a gaming like user interface, which allows the user to set the conditions as well as adjust the regulatory policies over time as the electricity system evolves. We furthermore show how the use of the model, called a microworld, improves the understanding of the regulatory options for the user.