VPP 2.0 - Trends in Efficient Grid Integration

Don Dulchinos, Director, Market Facilitation, OpenADR Alliance

Recently I sat down with the editor of Illuminaire – a publication focused on AI deployment in industry – to discuss the challenges created by the growth in AI applications leading to a surge in electricity demand by data centers.

Here are my thoughts of the main points we discussed.

We had the opportunity to talk with Michael Siemann, Director of Technology for Resideo Grid Services and find out a bit more about the company and why the OpenADR standard is important to their initiatives including the EV-Home Power Partnership project with Ford.

Reflections from IESNA – by Don Dulchinos, Director of Market Facilitation, OpenADR Alliance

As we set our focus on the upcoming DistribuTECH Conference in Dallas next week I wanted to pause and take a moment to share with our utility partners a few observations from last month’s Intersolar and Energy Storage North America (IESNA) in San Diego. The OpenADR Alliance exhibited along with a number of members in the solar and energy storage space.

Member Interview Series: OpenADR, Airzone 

It’s that time of the year when we often get invited to ‘look ahead’ and comment on what we as an industry alliance see as the main trends in the coming year. Just this month, we have been quoted talking about the growing demand for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in City Transport & Traffic Innovation (CTTi) magazine.

But this is nothing new. EV charging has been ‘on trend’ for some time and still we talk about the need for equitable access to charging points.

Annual Report Available for Download!

In 2024, the OpenADR Alliance witnessed significant expansion with a notable 40 new members, resulting in a cumulative count of over 200 members spanning North America, Asia and Europe, validating the Alliance’s influence. The Alliance as of today has 319 certified products and is now working with 10 approved test facilities in eight countries.

Rolf Bienert, Managing and Technical Director, OpenADR Alliance

Earlier this month, I posted my ‘reflections’ blog on our really inspiring 2^nd OpenADR User European Conference in November co-hosted by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ).

OpenADR 3.0 2024 Hackathon: A Resounding Success! By Frank Sandoval, Principal, Palarito Technologies, LLC

This month, Pacific Gas and Electric hosted the OpenADR 3.0 Hackathon. Participants from pioneering companies, all worked successfully together to advance interoperability and resilient energy solutions. These companies included: PG&E, Tanenergy, LBL, Universal Devices, GridTracker, Buena Vista Learning, Quilt EPRI, Priicer/EKM Metering, Clark Communications, Kaluza, GridX, Evoke, the OpenADR Alliance and individual Nathan Ota.

Managed EV charging companies are helping to drive the growth of OpenADR adoption in the past three years. We are seeing this momentum continue in 2024, with a wave of companies joining the Alliance who are offering a different focus and innovative new business models to the growing EV marketplace.

One such member is Wevo Energy who joined us on our recent webinar to discuss New Frontiers in EV Charging. Here we find out a bit more about the company as we talk to Marina Hod, who’s leading Wevo Energy's EV charging optimization business in North America.

Managed EV charging companies are helping to drive the growth of OpenADR adoption in the past three years. We are seeing this momentum continue in 2024, with a wave of companies joining the Alliance who are offering a different focus and innovative new business models to the growing EV marketplace.

One such member is OpenRoad Technologies Inc. who joined us on our recent webinar, New Frontiers in EV Charging. Here we find out a bit more about the company as we talk to Evan Kirchhoff, CEO and co-founder and a 20-year veteran of software and hardware technology companies, including Adobe, Razor, and Google.

Across the globe there has been the increasing number of electric vehicles, batteries and smart devices in the home and the need to find ways to achieve greater flexibility in how demand resources are managed.

Specifically, New Zealand has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and a goal of reaching 100 percent renewable electricity generation by 2030. As the country embarks on an ambitious energy transition, it has many natural advantages, including a strong renewable resource base.

Earlier this month we had the pleasure of attending Power+Utilites in Melbourne. It was a great opportunity to learn more about energy efficiency efforts in Australia and to educate attendees on the importance of the OpenADR protocol. Rolf Bienert presented a Knowledge Hub session on ‘CER flexibility with the customer in charge – The OpenADR Approach.' 

Terry Paddy, Managing Director from member company Cortexo was also there to highlight the New Zealand FlexTalk project that used OpenADR to dispatch flexibility. Here Terry shares more about his company and his thoughts on the impact the OpenADR standard in this region.

Reaching a new milestone is always an exciting moment. The OpenADR Alliance recently announced reaching 200 members, something we are particularly proud of as a global industry organization that started out supporting technical communications standards over a decade ago.

Our goal remains the same, with the OpenADR standard going from strength to strength with the launch of OpenADR 3.0 last year. But like other industry bodies, we need to evolve and adapt as the industry – and our members – change.

We are hearing mixed messages right now about the success – or otherwise – of electric vehicles (EVs). We know that EVs will happen one way or another, but on the one hand, we’re seeing headlines about falling sales and car makers slashing forecasts, while on the other, the news that sales have got off to a record start this year. The growth seeming to come from premium brands like BMW and Audi.

 We know it will come, but the transition to EVs is not without its challenges.

Last week the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL was the place to be for DistribuTECH 2024. This year’s conference in the ‘sunshine state’ did not disappoint with over 400 speakers, 17,000+ attendees, 600+ exhibitors and 3,500+ utilities all under one roof.

As promised for those who attended, it was an inspirational event to be among organizations and industry leaders empowering progress and sharing ideas that will transform the way we live.

This week is particularly exciting one for us at the OpenADR Alliance. As we gather at Enlit Europe (November 28-30th) with industry leaders and several of our members, all part of the growing community of companies looking to solve the most important energy transition issues, we are delighted to announce the new version of the OpenADR communications standard.

OpenADR 3.0 is an important milestone for us as the industry body responsible for driving the development, adoption, and compliance of OpenADR. It’s also a significant step in the development of communications standard for utilities, operators, and aggregators, as they look to manage the growing range of distributed energy resources.

Putting renewables and energy storage at the heart of Enlit Europe 2023

Recent estimates by the European Environment Agency (EEA) indicate that we are consuming more of our energy from renewable sources like solar power. Last year in Europe, nearly a quarter (22.5%) was generated by renewables. While this is on the rise, the EEA warns that to meet the new target of 42.5% for 2030 it will “require a deep transformation of the European energy system”.