On May 6-7, 2025, the annual meeting of the Research network Energy System Analysis took place in Berlin and brought together experts and researchers to discuss the role of data, transparency, and innovation in the future of energy systems analysis. The event served as a key platform for sharing insights and fostering collaboration across institutions. Our Spokesperson Prof. Dr. Astrid Nieße opened the second day with a keynote on Research Data Infrastructure for Interdisciplinary Energy Systems Research. She explained how FAIR data and open software solutions enhance transparency and collaboration in energy systems research and why a well-structured data foundation is essential for making the energy transition a success.

The recording of the keynote is now available on Youtube.

As NFDI4Energy, we are working to improve the management of research software in energy research. Research software plays a vital role in various aspects of energy research, including data analysis and simulation of scenarios.

To facilitate the sharing and reuse of energy research software, we have developed a metadata schema to describe it in a structured and standardized way. This schema aims to enhance the discoverability and reusability of energy research software, advancing energy research as a whole.

We Need Your Feedback!

We invite you to participate in our survey to evaluate and refine the metadata schema for energy research software. Your feedback will help us test and further improve our metadata schema, ensuring it meets the needs of the energy research community.

What to Expect:

·         Create structured metadata for your own energy research software that you can add to your repositories

·         The creation of the metadata is done in a semi-automated way

·         The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 60 minutes to complete

·         The survey will run until August 15, 2025

Click here to access the survey: https://umfrage.offis.de/index.php/369355.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to your feedback! Your input will help us create a more effective metadata schema that benefits the entire energy research community.

We are happy to share that NFDI4Energy has officially adopted a unifying vision:

Data and software as the scientific foundation for a sustainable energy future.

This vision was officially adopted during the last meeting of the consortium in the NFDI e. V., which took place during the 2nd NFDI4Energy Conference in Karlsruhe on March 27, 2025. We are excited to see our vision guiding our progress and uniting the community toward a shared goals.

To foster innovation and collaboration, NFDI4Energy is funding small Flexfund Projects that support FAIR data practices in energy research. These projects aim to complement or improve services, demonstrate successful data usage, and engage the community.

We are happy to present you the three Flexfund projects that startet in 2025:

Open Energy Platform Improved: This project works on enhancing the Open Energy Platform by focusing on increased security, bug reduction, and improved usability. It aims to deliver an upgraded version of the platform, enabling easier access to energy data and boosting overall

SOMMER - Search over Multi-Layer Metadata for NFDI4Energy Repositories: This project aims to deploy an interdisciplinary metadata catalog (Databus) integrated with a metadata annotation and search interface (MOSS) for energy research datasets. The goal is to enhance the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) by setting up a user community, improving the MOSS system, and providing tools for seamless data upload and publication. Additionally, KPI dashboards will be implemented to monitor and evaluate the project's impact. This initiative promotes efficient data management and collaboration within the energy research sector.

Standards and Scopes for Interoperable Energy Related Ontologies: This project focuses on developing standards and scopes for interoperable energy-related ontologies. The aim is to create a standardized framework that allows different energy systems and platforms to communicate seamlessly. This project enhances data interoperability and promotes collaboration across the energy sector.

The three Felxfund projects will soon be presented in more detail on our LinkedIn channel.

We’re happy to announce our new paper, “Ten Recommendations for Engineering Research Software in Energy Research,” published at ACM E-Energy.

In this work, Stephan Ferenz and colleagues present ten key recommendations to improve the development of energy research software — from planning and coding to testing and publishing. These insights are based on two workshops with energy researchers and aim to support better software practices, especially for early-career scientists.

Well-designed software is essential for reproducibility and progress in energy research and we hope this paper helps move the field forward.

You can read the paper here

Over the past three months, numerous events have accompanied and provided support for our work, allowing for inspiring discussions and valuable insights. To maintain a concise overview, we’ve compiled key highlights and provided links to detailed event pages and LinkedIn reports for further reading. We invite you to explore these updates and stay connected via our LinkedIn channel to follow the work of the consortium.

NFDI4Energy was present at and contributed to the following events:

ABM4Energy

• Details: March 31 -  April 1, 2025 - Copenhagen, Danemark.

• Describtion:The ABM4Energy Conference focused on agent-based modeling approaches for energy economics and policy. It highlighted the importance of capturing dynamic, decentralized behaviors in energy systems – a key challenge for future-oriented, data-driven research.

• NFDI4Energy Contribution: NFDI4Energy was represented by Nick Harder and Gunter Grimm (INATECH, University of Freiburg), who brought materials and merch to the conference and helped raise awareness about our work in the research data infrastructure landscape.

• Further readings: Event Website and LinkedIn Report 

Wärmewende Nordwest Consortia Meeting

• Details: April 3–4, 2025 – Oldenburg, Germany.

• Description: The Wärmewende Nordwest Consortia Meeting brought together researchers and stakeholders to share updates and shape future pathways for sustainable heating in Northwestern Germany. The event highlighted key challenges in research data management and laid the groundwork for stronger cooperation within the region's energy research landscape.

• NFDI4Energy Contribution: Oliver Werth presented NFDI4Energy’s vision and service offerings aimed at fostering collaborative energy research. His presentation focused on the role of research data infrastructures in supporting regional heating transitions and underlined the value of cross-consortia synergies.

• Further readings: LinkedIn Report 

DigiSect

• Details: May 14-15, 2025 - Oldenburg, Germany.

• Description: The international workshop DigiSect.eu brings together leading experts to discuss digitalization in sector-coupled energy systems. Hosted at OFFIS – Institute for Information Technology at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, the event offers a unique opportunity for exchange and collaboration in a rapidly evolving field.

• Further readings: Event Website and LinkedIn Report

3rd Bremen Research Data Day

• Details: June 11, 2025 - Bremen, Germany.

• Description: The 3rd Research Data Day organized by the U Bremen Research Alliance (UBRA) focused on equipping researchers and students with practical competencies in research data management aligned with the FAIR principles -Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. The event featured workshops and talks, interactive sessions, exhibitions, and posters, followed by an evening event with inspiring talks and the Data Champion Award Ceremony 2025. 

• NFDI4Energy Contribution: Together with other NFDI Consortia NFDI4Energy shared an Info Booth to inform everyone interested in Research Data Management and related topics about NFDI activities and services.

• Further Readings:Event Website and LinkedIn Report

Many thanks to our representatives for their time and engagement that allowed NFDI4Energy to contribute to and be represented at these events!

Upcoming Events

If you want to get in touch with NFDI4Energy representatives, you can find them at the following upcoming events:

9. Bibliothekskongress: June 24-27.2025 - Bremen, Germany

16th IEEE PowerTech: June 29, 2025 - Kiel, Germany

CoRDI 2025: August 26-28, 2025 - Aachen, Germany

SciCAR Conference 2025: September 5-6. 2025 - Dortmund, Germany

Norddeutsche Wärmekonferenz: September 10-11. 2025 - Bremen, Germany

We look forward to meeting you there!