The global standards body overseeing communications protocols used in electricity infrastructure grids, the OpenADR Alliance, has announced the first products to be officially certified under the OpenADR 3.0 standard, which the organisation says reflects a growing demand for standardised energy management solutions.
The newly-certified products cover several applications developed by alliance member companies, E.ON, EVoke Systems, and Universal Devices. One application is the first ever VTN (Virtual Top Node) solution to receive OpenADR 3.0 certification. A VTN acts as a central hub that communicates with energy-consuming devices, helping manage and improve energy allocation and use.
The OpenADR 3.0 communications standard was first published in November 2023, and represents the need for greater flexibility, interoperability, and reduced complexity in modern energy systems. The standard marks a step forward in energy management technology, helping grid operators, utilities, and aggregators deal with the challenges inherent in managing distributed energy resources (DERs), like batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), and solar panels.
OpenADR 3.0 aims to enable smoother automation of demand response and grid flexibility, with the goal of improving energy management efficiency throughout the industry. This will, in theory, lead to more reliable energy distribution at a time when greater demands are placed on infrastructure, especially from technology systems that have become a standard feature in everyday lives and business activity.
Rolf Bienert, managing and technical director at the OpenADR Alliance, spoke about the importance standards have for the sector.
“As increasingly innovative products enter the market, we’re excited to see members releasing the first certified OpenADR 3.0 products to the market.”
The first certified OpenADR 3.0 products include E.ON Energy Network’s SWITCH, EVoke Systems’ Energy Services Exchange (ESX) platform, and Universal Devices’ VEN platform.
E.ON’s SWITCH platform is the first VTN solution to achieve the certification, and is designed to provide tools for grid owners to interface with customers who have controllable energy resources. SWITCH is capable of automating data flows without need of manual input, thanks to system integration and power metering.
EVoke Systems’ ESX platform helps utilities and grid operators aggregate and optimise EV charging load management and coordinate DERs. The platform is designed to enhance overall grid stability and encourage customer participation in demand response programmes.
Universal Devices’ platform, an open-source VEN has also achieved the OpenADR 3.0 certificate.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company is collaborating with Universal Devices to conduct a Demand Response Emerging Technology demonstration to highlight OpenADR 3.0’s potential for improving grid flexibility and improvements in energy load management in regional and national grids.
