Hackathon: Open Source in Energy Access (OSEAS) — Build tools for off-grid, mini-grid & geospatial planning

[Mark Howells]

Happy Friday Open Modders:

About OSEAS: OSEAS (Open Source in Energy Access) brings together developers, researchers, and practitioners to build open software, hardware, and data for clean energy access in developing regions. Find out more at:

Most discussions on this forum focus on national power system models. But, in developing countries, planning also relies on local data for mini-grids, off-grid solar, and unserved areas. For those wanting to go into this space I wanted to draw your attention to Energy Access Explorer, supporting tools, courses and invitation to a very groovy hackathon ...

What is Energy Access Explorer (EAE)?

• It is an open-source mapping tool built by the World Resources Institute (WRI).
• It layers local power supply, demand, and infrastructure data to show where mini-grids and clean energy will have the highest impact.
• www.onsset.org is used for much analysis that focuses on grid, mini-grid, hybrid-grid and stand alone solar home systems
• For more give Nicki a listen to: https://lnkd.in/p/eP8DCaQg
• Through the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) programme, Geo-spatial Data Management, EAE, OnSSET, OnSTOVE are taught on OpenLearn Create (OLC) to train energy planners across Africa and Asia.

The Hackathon The EnAccess Foundation, WRI, and Carnegie Mellon University Africa are hosting a 4-week remote hackathon to build working tools for the field. Top teams will present in person at the OSEAS event in Kigali, Rwanda.

Relevant challenges for this community:

• Building footprints to energy demand: Turn open building footprints into appliance-level power demand estimates.
• AskEAE: Build an open-source AI assistant to query geospatial planning data in plain language.
• Productive use mapping: Use satellite data to locate rural grain mills, water pumps, and cold storage.
• Climate risk: Map flood, heat, and drought risks against mini-grid networks.
• Mini-grid software & hardware: Build integrations for battery monitors and open-source pay-as-you-go systems.

Full challenge details and registration: https://www.oseas.org/hackathon

Best,