Many of our members and partners will have seen this week that the Alliance announced significant growth in our membership and worldwide adoption of the OpenADR standard.

As the industry continues to evolve and adapt to the growing number of DER – from EV managed charging networks and energy storage to grid-interactive technologies and the integration of renewables – we’ve seen around 60 organizations join us in the last year. This is around one new company a week, unprecedented since the Alliance was formed 15 years ago – and is an acknowledgement of the work of our growing ecosystem.

With its stunning architecture, enviable dining scene, and home to the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao will add a new string to its bow this year when it plays host to Enlit Europe 2025.

The fact that Bilbao has transformed from a gritty industrial port into one of the most vibrant and futuristic cities in Spain is perhaps a fitting tribute to the energy sector, which itself is transforming from old to new.

The OpenADR Alliance last year launched a new version of its OpenADR communications standard. OpenADR 3 was 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. More complex scenarios such as managing local grid constraints are also supported.