In the Energy Devroom at FOSDEM 2025, Frédéric Didier from RTE, France’s Transmission System Operator (TSO), presented a session focused on LF Energy OperatorFabric, an open source tool designed to enhance decision-making and collaboration in energy control rooms. Originally an impromptu session after a last-minute cancellation, Didier provided a compelling demonstration of the platform’s capabilities. The full video follows below.
Challenges in Modern Energy Control Rooms
Didier highlighted the increasing complexity of managing power systems due to:
- A growing number of data sources and business applications.
- The need for real-time collaboration between multiple control rooms.
- The importance of quick decision-making during grid-critical events.
To address these challenges, OperatorFabric was developed as a centralized platform for monitoring, alerting, and facilitating operator communication.
What is OperatorFabric?
OperatorFabric is an open source solution designed for energy control rooms, offering:
- Centralized Event Management: Operators receive, filter, and acknowledge business-critical notifications.
- Real-time Communication: A structured messaging system allowing predefined and custom messages between operators.
- Event-Driven Automation: APIs enable external systems to trigger alerts and notifications.
- Customizable Interface: Uses HTML, JavaScript, and templating mechanisms to present data in multiple formats, including charts and network diagrams.
- Task & Reminder System: Helps operators keep track of important activities during shift changes.
Key Features Demonstrated
During the session, Didier showcased OperatorFabric’s key functionalities with live demonstrations:
1. Real-Time Event Notification System
- The platform centralizes alerts from business applications.
- Operators can acknowledge and filter events to focus on critical issues.
- Events can include graphs, images, and network diagrams to enhance situational awareness.
2. Operator Communication & Critical Messaging
- Operators can send and receive predefined or custom critical alerts.
- Example: Grid emergency alerts can be issued instantly to all relevant control rooms.
- Messages require explicit acknowledgment, ensuring important information is not overlooked.
3. Fast Deployment of New Use Cases
- OperatorFabric allows quick adaptation to emerging grid challenges.
- Example: Handling unexpected renewable energy drops due to negative electricity prices.
- New templates can be deployed without restarting the system.
4. Question-Response Mechanism
- Operators can send queries that require structured responses.
- Used for coordinating IT system maintenance across control centers.
5. Task Management & Reminders
- Enables operators to assign and track tasks during shifts.
- Can schedule reminders for critical actions.
Why OperatorFabric Matters
As the energy sector undergoes rapid transformation, tools like OperatorFabric help streamline operations, improve response times, and enhance collaboration in control rooms. Its open source nature encourages adaptability and innovation, making it a valuable asset for modern TSOs and utilities worldwide.
