Maximilian Parzen serves as CEO of Open Energy Transition (OET), a non-profit dedicated to revolutionizing energy planning through transparency, accessibility, and collaboration. OET's mission centers on empowering better decision-making by harnessing the power of openness, addressing traditional "black-box" planning methods that hinder transparent policy decisions. OET provides energy system modelling, policy advisory, software development, open data platforms and capacity building services that enable cost-effective, evidence-based energy transitions for all.
Max has been at the forefront of advancing open-source energy modelling alongside a global community, helping tools such as PyPSA (Python for Power System Analysis) evolve from academic origins into operational-grade platforms. The platforms are now operationally deployed by major institutions including ENTSO-E for their Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) process, national transmission system operators, and international planning authorities across multiple continents and integrate electricity, heating, transport, industry, and hydrogen sectors into a comprehensive suite.
Through OET's work, organizations and governments can empower their teams to run and adapt tools independently while fostering regional initiatives that strengthen shared data, mapping, and modelling capabilities across borders. Max holds a PhD in Energy Storage Design and Integration in Power Systems by System-Value Optimization from the University of Edinburgh, where his research earned him the 2023 EASE Student Award from the European Association for Storage of Energy.
