It is true everything in Texas is bigger!

Last week the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, TX was the place to be for DISTRIBUTECH 2025. Over 20,000 industry leaders within the energy sector took over the downtown area.  Every year this conference brings together top experts from around the world to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing the energy sector, such as extreme weather events like wildfires and hurricanes, the rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), and the rise of AI.  

The increase of EVs, and the expansion of data centers are areas seen to be increasing energy consumption when grid reliability is currently a major concern. These challenges were addressed throughout the week in many of the keynotes and packed sessions, as well as in conversations on the exhibit floor.

For the OpenADR Alliance, we kicked the week off with an announcement of our first OpenADR 3.0 certified products with E.ON, EVoke Systems and Universal Devices. OpenADR 3.0 provides highly secure, fast, and reliable two-way information exchange for utility applications with simple communications needs. It was developed to simplify messaging, including pricing, offering more dynamic pricing structures, as well as better enabling greenhouse gas signaling, grid code adjustments, and capacity management communication.

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).

By Rolf Bienert, Managing and Technical Director, OpenADR Alliance

As we catch our breath after a hugely successful 2^nd OpenADR User European Conference in London last month, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on what we learnt and what lessons we can take forward into next year.

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.

The spotlight is firmly on the integration of electric vehicles into the power grid with the recent news that ChargeScape, a consortium of some of the biggest names in automotive manufacturing has appointed its first CEO and CTO.

Spearheaded by Alliance Board member, Ford Motor Company, along with BMW Manufacturing Co., Honda and Nissan Motor Corporation, the joint venture will focus on the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into the power grid in the US.

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.

The transition to electric vehicles (EV) is central to achieving net zero goals. For the UK market in particular, these goals are ambitious. The date to phase out the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars was recently pushed back to 2035, but with a newly appointed government in place since July the original 2030 deadline is set to be restored.

While no mention was made of this in the King’s Speech during the recent state opening of Parliament, which sets out the government’s legislative plans, we can expect to see more details published soon.

Ever wondered what about other standards like Energy Star and how they co-exist with OpenADR and CTA-2045/EcoPort? Following our recent webinar on connected appliances, we talk to Spencer Borison, Head of US at contributing member Codibly, about how these standards can work together to drive smart energy management.

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.

The OpenADR Alliance talks with Joachim Lohse, CEO and Founder of Ampcontrol, a leading AI-powered software company for electric fleets, about the important role the OpenADR standard has played in the company’s EV fleet software.

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.