LF Energy aims to create an ecosystem dedicated to advancing the energy sector’s shift toward sustainability by fostering collaboration through open-source solutions. In this episode of Let’s Talk recorded at the Open Source Summit in Vienna, Austria, Boris Dolley, Director of OSPO and Sustainable IT at RTE, outlines LF Energy’s current focus on the scaling of industry efforts through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) focused on AI, grid operations, and EV charging. Dolley highlights key projects such as OperatorFabric and EVerest, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity and open-source investment for a successful energy shift. Dolley notes, “It’s a question of sharing the cost of innovation.”

LF Energy’s purpose and vision for Energy sector collaboration

• Dolley describes LF Energy as a project under the Linux Foundation, similar to initiatives like Linux Kernel and Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), designed to foster open-source development across sectors.
• LF Energy aims to create an ecosystem for diverse energy sector stakeholders, such as industry leaders, policymakers, regulators, and academics, to work together effectively in an open-source environment.
• The primary objective is to accelerate the global energy transition, leveraging open-source software and fostering collaboration among various actors to overcome traditional industry silos.

Reflecting on the success of LF Energy Summit in Brussels

• Dolley recounts the success of the recent LF Energy Summit held in Brussels, where 250 attendees from various parts of the energy sector participated, creating a fully booked event.
• The summit brought together key players, including representatives from the European Commission, the World Bank, and other notable organizations, highlighting the significance of LF Energy’s mission.
• The event’s main theme, “Going at Scale,” emphasized the need to scale up solutions and was supported by six Special Interest Groups (SIGs) focused on critical topics in the energy transition.
• These Special Interest Groups (SIGs) addressed specific areas, such as applying AI and data in energy, power grid modeling, grid operation, EV charging infrastructure, and the advancement of digital substations, each offering targeted discussions.

Key takeaways from LF Energy’s CEO, Alex Standton’s opening session

• Dolley highlights Alex Stanton’s opening session at Open Source Summit, where the LF Energy CEO compared the foundation to a gym, reinforcing that proactive participation is essential to advance energy transition goals.
• The session stressed the need for companies to invest directly in open-source projects rather than depending solely on vendors, pushing for an industry-wide commitment to self-initiated innovation.
• Dolley also shares details about an internal project his company is developing, a readiness-level tooling inspired by similar initiatives in financial services. The project aims to simplify and standardize the onboarding experience, ensuring that new members can efficiently integrate into LF Energy’s collaborative ecosystem.

Overview of LF Energy’s production projects and their progress

• Dolley provides an overview of LF Energy’s key production projects, such as OperatorFabric, which supports control room coordination, and the Multi-Protocol Gateway project, which enhances digital substation capabilities called FledgePOWER
• Other significant projects include PowSyBl (Power System Blocks), a tool designed for security analysis and forecasting in energy infrastructure, and EVerest, which sets interoperability standards for electric vehicle charging.
• LF Energy’s ecosystem encourages companies to contribute their proprietary solutions to benefit the broader industry, enabling shared innovation and reducing development costs for all participants.
• Dolley emphasizes the importance of open-source software in the energy transition, as it provides interoperability and standards implementation, which are essential for achieving scalable and sustainable energy solutions.

Cybersecurity as a key focus, highlighting two LF Energy projects

• Dolley discusses the summit’s announcement of organizing Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to expand efforts, alongside welcoming new general members like Velotec and Hydro-Québec to strengthen the foundation’s reach.
• Cybersecurity is a key theme, with two critical projects, OperatorFabric and CoMPAS, undergoing professional assessments, and receiving security “green stamps” to demonstrate production readiness.
• These assessments underscore the maturity of open-source solutions for the energy sector, which helps provide reassurance to stakeholders about the security and robustness of the implemented software.
• Dolley stresses the importance of integrating cybersecurity by design within open-source projects, which is vital for delivering secure, reliable implementations across the energy ecosystem.

LF Energy’s representation at Open Source Summit Europe

• Dolley shares his experience at the Open Source Summit Europe, highlighting the summit’s professional and inspiring atmosphere, marking his first time attending this event.
• Dolley emphasizes the value of learning from other industries and open-source pioneers, such as the BBC in the UK, to adapt and apply best practices to the energy sector’s unique challenges.
• The summit provided a valuable opportunity for Dolley to network with industry peers, exploring potential collaborations, and discussing ideas to bring back to his company and LF Energy.
• Dolley plans to follow up on discussions held at the event, aiming to foster beneficial connections and incorporate insights that can advance both his organization and LF Energy’s goals.

Future objectives and key challenges in open-source adoption

• Dolley outlines LF Energy’s goals for the coming year, focusing on maturing the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and electing chairs to lead them, with a significant milestone expected by year-end to improve governance and output.
• Dolley acknowledges the challenges in adopting open source, such as overcoming internal cultural shifts and ensuring clear onboarding resources to ease integration for new organizations.
• LF Energy aims to support these organizations by providing ample resources and successful examples of open-source adoption, encouraging a smoother transition into the collaborative ecosystem.
• Dolley emphasizes that adopting a business model centered on interoperability and shared software is crucial for driving the energy transition, allowing industry players to collaborate effectively and at scale.

Guest: Boris Dolley (LinkedIn)
Company: RTE | Organization: LF Energy
Show: State of Energy 

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.