Manifesto
We believe that our corporate mission as a Transmission System Operator, and our transformation to meet tomorrow’s energy challenges, can only be achieved efficiently through open source collaboration.
Open source is not only an extremely efficient way to develop software and share intellectual property: it is a philosophy that empowers individuals, fosters collaboration, and drives innovation. By embracing collective intelligence and transparency, and by pooling efforts and skills, open source enables us to build better, more secure, and more sustainable technology. It breaks down barriers, accelerates learning, and federates contribution for the benefit of all stakeholders.
We believe that open source technology is the future of energy.
In the software world, open source has become a dominant strategy. Open source is a software development model based on a license that allows free access to the source code, free usage, modifications, and derived works, as well as royalty-free redistribution. Eventually, this license enabled an outstandingly efficient governance framework for collaborative software development across business organizations. Major software companies realized in the 2000s that they could leverage these licenses to organize their software strategies around remarkably efficient collaborations by pooling the development effort of software technology components that meet shared needs, hence enabling additive innovation and simultaneous gains in costs, time to market, and quality. Due to this efficiency, the model spread in the software technology and cloud sector, and then into industrial verticals such as telecommunications and automotive. This occurred under the aegis of foundations such as The Linux Foundation, which provide a neutral and proven governance framework to organize collaborations, build trust among investing partners, and establish state-of-the-art software development practices (cybersecurity, etc.).
In early 2018, RTE took the gamble that the model could be transposed to the energy sector and decided to start a
collaboration with Shuli Goodman at The Linux Foundation. This collaboration led to the creation of Linux Foundation
Energy (LF Energy) in early 2019. Since then, RTE has played a leading role in the foundation as a Strategic Member.
LF Energy is a member-funded non-profit organization whose purpose is to accelerate the energy transition through
collaboration on open source technologies and standards. LF Energy serves as an independent, neutral steward for
transparently governed open source technologies and standards that serve as the trustworthy, secure digital
foundation for grid modernization and modern energy services.
For RTE, the expected benefits of this software development model are:
- An acceleration by reusing what exists and sharing efforts, allowing for faster and cheaper software development,
- Industrial-grade software with improved modularity, interoperability, evolutivity, and shorter release time cycles,
- Cutting-edge technological and business model innovation,
- Access, through collaboration, to wider and more diverse skills and viewpoints,
- Reduced vendor lock-in or customer-specific approaches that impede velocity and cost-efficiency.
Today, RTE is actively involved in several LF Energy projects to build the industrial-grade software solutions that meet the needs of its core business.
"Open source is a powerful driver of innovation, interoperability, and digital sovereignty. At RTE, we believe collaboration is key to resilience and efficiency. The grid of tomorrow should not be built within black boxes; shared standards and joint developments are essential to meet our digital roadmaps and keep pace with the energy transition. We invite the entire ecosystem to shape the future of energy with us."
Xavier Piechaczyk, President of RTE – Réseau de Transport d’Electricité