Oil giant Shell lends support to LF Energy in its open source power networks push

Oil giant Shell has joined forces with green tech-focused open source foundation LF Energy to support its efforts to help decarbonise the global economy.

Shell has joined as a top-tier Strategic Member of the Foundation at the same time as software giant Microsoft, which previously worked with the community as a lower-tier General Member.

As members, the pair will be expected to provide funding and resources to support LF Energy’s efforts to build a unified approach to developing non-differentiating code that will pave the way for utility providers, grid operators and electric car manufacturers to develop technologies to support the energy sector through the renewable power transition.

LF Energy, which has ties to the Linux Foundation, was specifically set up more than five years ago to foster a community that could collaborate and explore ways to revamp the world’s energy networks, with a focus on virtualisation and software-defined elements to ease society through the transition from relying on fossil fuels to renewables.

As well as new members, the organisation has announced several projects that are being added to its roster, including ones aimed at making it easier to track the carbon intensity of consumed energy and the amount of carbon emissions generated by power systems.

Among the new projects is one that started life at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory before being handed over to the LF Energy community to develop further, which is geared towards creating next-generation power system simulation technology.

“The momentum we have seen in 2022 is nothing short of astounding, with more organisations across energy, technology, academia, government and other sectors coming to realise that the only way to meet decarbonisation goals is to work together to develop the necessary technologies,” said LF Energy founder and executive director Shuli Goodman.

“We welcome all our new members and projects and look forward to working with this growing community on shared technologies to modernise energy infrastructure globally. We will accelerate digital transformation in support of the energy transition, and mitigate some of the worst outcomes of climate change, through this collaborative approach.”