OpenADR Alliance new standard

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Global industry alliance, the OpenADR Alliance (www.openadr.org) launches a new version of its communications standard OpenADR 3.0 designed to support utilities, operators, aggregators, and customers as they try to manage the growing range of distributed energy resources (DER) including renewables, energy storage, electric vehicle (EV) batteries and charging infrastructure, as well as demand response resources like commercial buildings or homes.
 
As an open standard, OpenADR provides highly secure, fast, and reliable two-way information exchange for utility applications with simple communications needs like dynamic price and event signals, allowing customers to modify their usage to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.
 
With the launch of OpenADR 3.0, device and equipment manufacturers will be able to add new functionality more easily into customer products, including smart thermostats, EV charging stations, energy storage, and control systems.
 
, comments: “Renewable energy, along with battery storage, is providing a growing share of overall power capacity as we move towards a more sustainable energy future.  This means that energy companies are having to manage more decentralised and distributed energy resources, scaling operations while ensuring compatibility and interoperability,” says Rolf Bienert, Managing & Technical Director, OpenADR Alliance.

“OpenADR is critical in providing seamless communications between different devices and systems, and between utilities and customers.  OpenADR 3.0 provides simplicity at a time when technology is becoming more complex, making energy management easier and future-proofing energy systems.  It offers a new alternative using modern web service designs that are easier to use than older message style exchange formats, while also providing added functionality.”
 
“OpenADR 3.0 opens up new possibilities for customers and customer devices,” says Bruce Nordman, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a member of the team that created OpenADR 3.0.  “It is so easy to implement that it can readily be put into any customer device (even a Wi-Fi light bulb) for receipt of grid signals, and used for communication between customer devices.  OpenADR 3.0 also supports two mechanisms for capacity management between the grid and the customer.”
 
“As renewable generation and electrification increases with more distributed energy resources, energy flexibility and load management become even more important.  With the new and improved OpenADR 3.0, we expect to see more growth in the quantity and diversity of OpenADR certified products and solutions, which will make it easier for customers when participating in load management programs and dynamic rates,” adds Albert Chiu, Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E).  “All of these activities are critical for PG&E and CA to reach its carbon reduction goal in the future.”

The OpenADR Alliance currently has several companies now piloting the new OpenADR 3.0 standard.