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LF Energy has secured USD $2.5 million in funding from Google.org, through INCO, for open source software projects for Europe's power grids. The funding will be deployed over two years through Linux Foundation Europe.
The money will support four existing LF Energy projects focused on grid data, modelling and forecasting, as operators across Europe try to manage rising demand from renewable generation, electrified heating, transport and data centres without waiting for new network infrastructure.
The programme is intended not only to develop software, but also to help more grid operators adopt it. Support will include training, implementation help, technical guides and translations into EU languages, with a particular focus on smaller, less-resourced operators.
The four projects in the programme are OpenSynth, PowSyBl, Power Grid Model and OpenSTEF. Together, they cover synthetic grid data, transmission grid analysis, distribution grid calculations, and electricity load and generation forecasting.
OpenSynth provides synthetic household load profiles and grid data for researchers and planners studying how electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar generation affect local networks. PowSyBl is used for transmission grid analysis, including congestion management and planning for grid reinforcement and renewable connections.
Power Grid Model is designed for distribution networks and allows operators to run large numbers of scenarios to identify where local grids may face overload risks. OpenSTEF uses machine learning to forecast electricity load and generation from minutes to days ahead, giving operators greater visibility into potential congestion and available spare capacity.
The funding comes as power grids across Europe face growing pressure to connect more renewable power while also coping with rising electricity demand from transport, heating and digital infrastructure. Building new lines remains a slow process, making software and data tools more important in the near term for getting more from existing networks.
Open approach
A central feature of the programme is its open source model, which LF Energy says allows a wider group of operators to use and build on the tools, rather than limiting access to those with the budgets to develop them in-house.
Some of the projects already have operational users. PowSyBl is in production at RTE in France and TenneT in the Netherlands, while Power Grid Model is used and developed by Dutch distribution operators including Alliander, Enexis and Stedin. OpenSTEF is used by Alliander to forecast grid congestion and by Sigholm for district heating planning.
LF Energy also said OpenSynth includes 10 million AI-generated synthetic household load profiles and real French transmission grid topology published by RTE. The aim is to provide realistic data for analysis without exposing customer information.
The announcement also reflects growing industry interest in applying artificial intelligence to grid operations, though LF Energy framed the effort as a foundational layer built around data and models rather than as a standalone AI product.
Alex Thornton, Executive Director of LF Energy, said the usefulness of AI in grid management would depend on the quality of the underlying data and modelling tools.
"AI will only be as useful to grid operators as the data and models it is built on," said Alex Thornton, Executive Director of LF Energy. "This grant from Google.org via INCO invests in that foundation: open data, grid models and forecasting tools that operators across Europe can build on. Because the work is open source, its benefits reach every operator, not only those with the resources to develop these capabilities themselves."
Google said the funding is intended to support digital tools that can help operators make better use of existing grid capacity while broader infrastructure investment continues.
"Supporting a reliable, resilient power grid requires not just new physical infrastructure, but open digital tools that help operators get more out of the grid capacity we already have. Through this $2.5 million in Google.org funding to Linux Foundation Europe, we're proud to support LF Energy in scaling open source data, modeling and AI forecasting tools, helping grid operators of every size across Europe modernise grid planning and unlock more affordable, reliable and clean energy for everyone," said Adam Elman, Director of Sustainability, EMEA, at Google.