SF Climate Week 2025: Open-Source Energy Hackathon!
Introduction
As the world rapidly seeks to decarbonize and meet lofty climate goals there is a need for safe, regulated, but also decentralized power generation in local or challenged communities, that optimally integrate with and use renewable technologies, including solar PV, battery energy storage, and electric vehicles
At this Open Source Hackathon event, participants will have the opportunity to:
Implement an open source SunSpec compliant gateway that interacts with real renewable hardware components.
Test ideas using an AC energy meter, a hybrid solar inverter, a Level 2 AC EV charging station!
We're bringing the mobile solar carport from Gismo Power ON-SITE in our parking lot!
MicroGrid Ecosystem Overview:
Today's challenge is that most Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) use proprietary communication protocols, making it difficult to connect them directly with utilities or utility aggregators.
We will be experimenting with solutions like SunSpec and off-the-shelf hardware to build an open source SunSpec compliant gateway that can enable any device to meet UL1741-SB/CA Rule 21 compliance faster and or participate in demand response markets via higher level standards like IEEE 2030.5 or OpenADR. This allows power generating devices to:
Participate in utility markets
Provide grid support functions such as demand response
Deliver ancillary services (voltage/frequency control)
Eliminates the need to work with multiple proprietary protocols
Enables faster deployment with any equipment choice
FOR THE FOUNDERS:
New grid standards in California and other advanced markets are creating revenue opportunities for local power generation at homes and businesses (known as Behind-the-Meter or BTM generation). Here's how you can capitalize on this:
Open-source platforms like Energy IoT Open Source enable:
Freedom from single-vendor dependencies
Simple integration across different equipment manufacturers
Plug-and-play connectivity to the broader power grid
This approach helps solve two major grid challenges:
Growing power demands from data centers and EV charging stations
Integration of increasing renewable energy from wind and solar sources
Business impact: You can build new revenue streams by connecting local power generation to the grid while helping utilities manage capacity constraints.
FOR THE ENGINEERS:
Your engineering task is to develop a translator gateway that converts proprietary equipment protocols into the standardized SunSpec interface, typically using MODBUS TCP/IP or RTU.
Today's challenge is that most distributed energy resources (DERs) use proprietary communication protocols, making it difficult to connect them directly with utilities or utility aggregators. However, implementing standard protocols like SunSpec, IEEE 2030.5 or OpenADR allows DERs to:
Participate in utility markets
Provide grid support functions such as demand response
Deliver ancillary services (voltage/frequency control)
The solution is to create a SunSpec-compliant interface for a variety of common energy devices, this offers two main benefits:
Eliminates the need to work with multiple proprietary protocols
Enables faster deployment with any equipment choice
FOR CLIMATE FINANCE GURUS:
The combination of SunSpec, OpenADR and Open AMI creates a powerful foundation for monetizing distributed energy resources through virtual power plants. This technology stack enables energy aggregation and trading while keeping billing and settlement costs low through use of open-source solutions.
What makes this approach particularly compelling is its dual application. The same technology that drives profitable virtual power plants in developed markets can also revolutionize rural electrification. The IEEE Smart Village initiative in Cameroon demonstrates this potential, where the outcome of this project will enable an open-source AMI billing solution to make sustainable energy access both technically feasible and financially viable for underserved communities.
Partner Organizations for the Event
Sunspec Alliance is an alliance of over 100 solar and storage distributed energy industry participants, together pursuing information standards to enable “plug & play” system interoperability.
The enAccess Foundation EnAccess supports Open Innovation, Collaboration, and Interoperability in Energy Access. Our vision is a world where everyone has access to safe, clean energy.
Energy IoT Open Source combines the best of open source projects in the Energy space to provide simple solutions for decentralized community utilities worldwide.
Agenda
Day 1 (Apr 22nd): Hackathon 10am - 9pm
10am - Welcome and Overview of the Day
11am - For the newbies - An intro to the MicroGrid EcoSystem
1-2pm - Office Hours
5-6pm - Office Hours
9pm - Doors Close until 9am the next day.
Day 2 (Apr 23rd): Results Celebration and Mixer 4-6pm
9-3pm - Open to Day 1 Participants to complete projects.
4-6pm - Results Celebration and Mixer
Sign up early! In the days leading up to this event, we are hosting an intro webinar, and LFX Mentorship program in tandem with this hackathon. Join the discussion on Zulip at the link HERE.
Hardware:
Sol-Ark 12K-2P and 5K-1P Hybrid Inverters
Gismo Power MEGA unit (PV+EVSE on wheels)
Modbus Gateway Hardware Kit
Open Source Battery Cabinet, BMS
Software:
All contributions to be hosted on Energy IoT Open Source, or the respective OSS projects:
- LF Hyphae APIS (Autonomous Power Interchange System)
- LF OpenLEADR (OpenADR open source to enable Demand Response and Dynamic pricing activities)
- LF FlexMeasures, Energy Management System
- LF CitrineOS, Charge Management System
- OpenEMS, Energy Management System
- enAccess Micro Power Manager
- enAccess Battery Management System
- enAccess Open Smart Meter
Sponsors
Sol-Ark® is a global energy technology leader with over 6 generations of hybrid inverters, whose goal is to enable the most reliable, innovative, and affordable energy storage solutions to power families and businesses.
By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.