The Open Source Value Proposition for the Energy Sector

How do we systematically quantify the ROI of open source software? This LF Research and LF Energy report introduces a benefit-cost framework to help energy grid operators answer that question. Using a scenario comparison that organizes value into four components — cost, risk, strategic value, and societal value — to distill the relative efficiency of each scenario, the framework shows that increasing open source investment yields a proven net value 2–5x higher than current operational costs.