LF Energy Showcases Open Source Innovation at FERC Technical Conference on Market and Planning Efficiency
Earlier this month, members of the LF Energy community participated in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) 2025 Technical Conference on “Increasing Real-Time and Day-Ahead Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software,” held July 8-10 in Washington, DC. This influential annual event convenes leading voices from system operators, academia, national labs, software vendors, and regulators to explore software innovations that can enhance the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. bulk power system.
This year, LF Energy community members presented in four sessions, showcasing how open source collaboration is driving advances in artificial intelligence, synthetic data, and grid modeling to address some of the sector’s most complex planning and market challenges.
Session Highlights
1. Building Open Source AI Solutions and Foundation Models for Grid Efficiency
Presenter: Alexandre Parisot, LF Energy
Alexandre Parisot introduced the LF Energy AI initiative and the GridFM project, a groundbreaking effort to develop foundational AI models tailored to power systems. Drawing inspiration from advancements in language, vision, and climate modeling, GridFM leverages graph-based AI techniques to support diverse applications, from load flow and state estimation to market forecasting and contingency analysis. Importantly, this work emphasizes privacy-preserving approaches and open source governance to ensure broad utility adoption and cross-sector collaboration.
2. Synthetic Smart Meter Data for Resource Adequacy and Planning
Presenter: Gus Chadney, Centre for Net Zero
Gus Chadney presented the Faraday algorithm and the OpenSynth project, which uses generative AI to create synthetic household load profiles from smart meter data. This approach overcomes privacy constraints while enabling high-resolution modeling for demand forecasting, grid planning, and DER integration. Now an LF Energy project, OpenSynth aims to provide a global, open source platform for synthetic energy data, already attracting interest from operators across Europe and North America.
3. AI Integration in Power Markets (Panel Discussion)
Panelists: Alexandre Parisot (LF Energy), Dr. Adam Christensen (GAMS), Andy Witmeir (MISO), Brian Fitzsimons (GridUnity); Moderator: Emma Nicholson (FERC)
This dynamic panel examined near-, mid-, and long-term use cases for AI in power markets, including interconnection automation, operator assistance, and AI-augmented optimization. The panelists stressed the importance of transparency, trust, and human-in-the-loop design—especially in operational environments. Parisot emphasized the role of open source as a tool for auditability, reproducibility, and community-driven governance.
4. European Merging Function: Enhancing Interregional Flow Coordination Through Open-Source Grid Models
Presenter: Gladys León Surós, Artelys
Gladys León Surós presented the European Merging Function (EMF), an open source solution used in Europe to merge grid models across transmission system operators (TSOs) and enhance coordination of interregional electricity flows. EMF enables the real-time alignment of network models using standardized formats and automated processes, significantly improving situational awareness and operational decision-making across borders. The session highlighted how open source computation modules like EMF – already in operational use at RTE and other European TSOs – could offer lessons for the U.S. on increasing transparency, consistency, and reliability in multi-entity grid operations. The presentation underscored the importance of neutrality, reproducibility, and interoperability in future grid software frameworks.
Enabling the Future of Power Systems with Open Source
These sessions reflected LF Energy’s mission to build open, interoperable, and secure digital infrastructure for the energy transition. By contributing scalable, community-driven solutions – like GridFM, OpenSynth, and AI-ready data frameworks – the LF Energy ecosystem is helping accelerate the adoption of advanced software in both operations and planning.
Video recordings of all presentations at the FERC conference can be viewed here.
LF Energy community meetings are open to all, and upcoming events, including the LF Energy Summit Europe in September, provide opportunities to connect and collaborate.
