Open Source – Yes, Please! but How? Experiences From the Future Energy Lab
TL;DR
At LF Energy Summit Europe 2025, Anika Lange of the German Energy Agency (dena) shared insights from the Future Energy Lab on bridging the gap between public sector pilot projects and open source communities. The session explored how dena utilizes open source to break vendor lock-in and foster grid digitalization, while addressing the challenges of community engagement and the distinction between “open code” and sustainable open source ecosystems.
Presentation Overview
The Future Energy Lab, operated by dena, acts as a public-sector intermediary and think tank for the German federal government. Lange explained that open source has moved from a background topic to a systematic priority over the last two years. The objective is to address the complexity of the German energy market—which includes over 870 DSOs—by creating flexible, scalable, and vendor-neutral digital infrastructure.
Lange noted that existing proprietary technologies often lack the flexibility required for the decentralized energy transition. By promoting open source, dena aims to establish “quasi-standards” that break down data silos and ensure digital sovereignty for public welfare-oriented infrastructure.
Four Modes of Open Source Engagement
Lange outlined how the Future Energy Lab integrates open source into its project lifecycle through four distinct approaches:
- Using Open Source Software: In the Climate Municipality Digital project, dena partnered with the city of Haaren to deploy an urban data platform and dashboard. Using open source allows the municipality to avoid vendor lock-in and provides a blueprint for other cities to replicate.
- Developing Open Source Software: The Data Institute Use Case Energy project utilizes the Eclipse Dataspace Connector (EDC). The lab adjusted this existing open source tool to meet energy-sector-specific identity requirements.
- Providing Open Code: Projects like DIVE (Digital Identities as Trust Anchors) focus on self-sovereign identities (SSI) for devices. Dena maintains a GitHub repository for this code to drive innovation, despite internal maintenance challenges.
- Community Support: Dena engages with broad initiatives like Gaia-X to support European standards for data spaces and to spread open source concepts throughout the energy sector.
Challenges in Public Sector Contribution
The session highlighted several friction points for public organizations navigating open source norms:
- High Contribution Barriers: Partners reported difficulty contributing to projects like the EDC due to high technical criteria and rigid pull request formats.
- Startup Dynamics: Paradoxically, startups (especially in AI) were often more hesitant to adopt open source requirements in tenders compared to scientific organizations.
- The “Open Code” vs. Open Source Dilemma: Lange distinguished “open code” (publishing code for transparency) from true open source, questioning the long-term value of code that lacks a maintenance strategy or active community management.
Watch the full presentation:
Open Source – Yes, Please! but How? Experiences From the Future Energy Lab
https://youtu.be/Gc6BCr08_ro?si=dIFIjw6cdplguqaS
FAQ
What is the Future Energy Lab? It is a project and co-working space operated by dena (the German Energy Agency) that brings together energy and digitalization actors to test future technologies like AI, smart cities, and digital identities.
Why does dena prefer open source for municipal projects? Open source prevents municipalities from being locked into a single vendor’s ecosystem and allows the lab to create “blueprints” that other cities can adopt freely.
What specific open source tools were mentioned? The lab utilizes the Eclipse Dataspace Connector (EDC) for data exchange pilots and follows Gaia-X standards for European data spaces.
What is the difference between “open code” and “open source” in this context? Lange used “open code” to describe publishing source code for transparency without necessarily fostering or participating in a surrounding collaborative community.
About LF Energy
LF Energy is an open source foundation within the Linux Foundation focused on advancing collaboration in digital energy infrastructure.
Learn more: https://lfenergy.org
Last updated: March 26, 2026
