Open Energy Modelling Initiative

The Open Energy Modelling Initiative (openmod) is a grassroots community of energy system modellers from universities and research institutes across Europe and elsewhere. The initiative promotes the use of open-source software and open data in energy modelling for research and policy advice. The Open Energy Modelling Initiative documents a variety of open-source energy models and addresses practical and conceptual issues regarding their development and application. The initiative runs an email list, an internet forum, and a wiki and hosts occasional academic workshops. A statement of aims is available.

Context

The application of open-source development to energy modelling dates back to around 2003. This section provides some background for the growing interest in open methods.

Growth in open energy modelling

Just two active open energy modelling projects were cited in a 2011 paper: OSeMOSYS and TEMOA. Balmorel was also public at that time, having been made available on a website in 2001. As of October 2021, the Open Energy Platform lists 17open energy frameworks and about 50open energy models.

Academic literature

Issues surrounding copyright remain at the forefront with regard to open energy data. Most energy datasets are collated and published by official or semi-official sources, for example, national statistics offices, transmission system operators, and electricity market operators. The doctrine of open data requires that these datasets be available under free licences (such as CC BY 4.0) or be in the public domain. But most published energy datasets carry proprietary licences, limiting their reuse in numerical and statistical models, open or otherwise. Measures to enforce market transparency have not helped because the associated information is normally licensed to preclude downstream usage. Recent transparency measures include the 2013 European energy market transparency regulation 543/2013 and a 2016 amendment to the German Energy Industry Act to establish a nation energy information platform, slated to launch on 1July 2017. Energy databases may also be protected under general database law, irrespective of the copyright status of the information they hold.

In December 2017, participants from the Open Energy Modelling Initiative and allied research communities made a written submission to the European Commission on the re-use of public sector information. The document provides a comprehensive account of the data issues faced by researchers engaged in open energy system modelling and energy market analysis and quoted extensively from a German legal opinion.

In May 2020, participants from the Open Energy Modelling Initiative made a further submission on the European strategy for data. In mid2021, participants made two written submissions on a proposed Data Act — legislative work-in-progress intended primarily to improve public interest business-to-government (B2G) information transfers within the European Economic Area (EEA). More specifically, the two Data Act submissions drew attention to restrictive but nonetheless compliant public disclosure reporting practices deployed by the European Energy Exchange (EEX).

abbreviation	openmod
formation	September 2014
type	Internet-based with periodic workshops
purpose	Promote open-source energy models and open energy sector data
language	English

Open Energy Modelling Initiative

Context

Growth in open energy modelling

Academic literature

Copyright and open energy data

Public policy support

Adoption by regulators and industry generally

Workshops

See also

Further reading

External links

Official openmod

Open energy data

Similar initiatives

Other

References