DistribuTECH 2022 and other Thoughts

OpenADR Alliance Making its Mark

By Rolf Bienert, Don Dulchinos, and Shannon Mayette, OpenADR Alliance

The OpenADR Alliance has hit the road again in full force with a number of in-person events back on the calendar for 2022.  Last month, we were in Dallas for DistribuTECH 2022. It was great to feel the energy and excitement.

by attendees after being away for over two years. We saw a strong interest in the growing number of OpenADR based solutions especially in the EV space. The OpenADR ecosystem was well represented with a number of our members exhibiting their DER solutions (ChargePoint, IPkeys, ABB, Itron and more). The OpenADR Alliance booth hosted kiosks from members and partners from Europe - EEbUS, from Japan, - Grid Solutions, and from the U.S. - QualityLogic.

At this year's event we were excited to introduce EcoPort, the new consumer-facing brand name for the CTA 2045 technical standard; the OpenADR Alliance will manage a self-test and certification program for products implementing this standard.  Local utilities can now support EcoPort-enabled water heaters and other appliances as part of their local peak-load management or time of use rate programs. Today’s smart appliances will now be able to align energy consumption to minimize electric grid costs, as well as the appliance’s energy usage with times of variable renewable energy availability. This will result in millions of tons of carbon emissions saved every year. Stay tuned for the rollout of certified EcoPort products in the coming months.

We also capitalized on show attendance and hosted an hour-long OpenADR Education Seminar. Attendees had the opportunity to learn how OpenADR is facilitating grid integration of rapidly increasing DERs and innovative storage solutions. There were questions ranging from detailed implementation to questions about the use of OpenADR in EV managed charging applications, as well as about the new EcoPort standard and how it interoperates with OpenADR. We look forward to hosting future sessions in the second half of the year to further educate the industry on these topics.

One such education session will by hosted by Duke Energy, the day after EPRI Electrification in Charlotte, NC. 

The OpenADR Alliance also will have a booth presence at EPRI’s Electrification in North Carolina and look forward especially to discussions around the EPRI Open Vehicle Grid Integration Platform (OVGIP), a suite of standards which incorporates the OpenADR Protocols. 

With the summer months approaching we look forward to ending this month at FlexCon in Amsterdam; which brings together organizations and experts who share a common interest in energy flex and the goal to engage consumers in the flexible energy revolution. I will be presenting a session called Flex in a Box.  This addresses the acute need for quick solutions in the face of unexpected disruptions to energy systems due to global events.  . I will be speaking and discussing how OpenADR can help grid operators and energy suppliers bring Energy Flexibility to market, and will discuss some examples of OpenADR's European and worldwide implementations.

The Alliance continues to see significant growth and has gathered over 175 members globally and certified more than 260 products that implement the OpenADR standard. These products have automated and simplified applications for DR and DER markets, including renewable energy, energy storage, demand response, and electric vehicle charging. Now is the time to get involved.  To learn more visit www.openadr.org
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