GUEST Q&A Blog with Michel Kohanim, CEO of Universal Devices
-Rolf Bienert, Managing and Technical Director, OpenADR Alliance

The OpenADR 2.0 Demand Response Program Guide was designed to further the interoperability of products certified as OpenADR compliant. The certification program is a simple add-on to the current OpenADR 2.0b Profile Certification that is being required by utilities worldwide. To date a number of utilities and manufacturers support the DR Program Guide and certification program.

Guest Blog Q&A with Jan Klube, EVP, Engineering, Electriq Power
By Rolf Bienert, Technical and Managing Director, OpenADR Alliance

It is exciting to see more members participating in the OpenADR 2.0 DR Program testing and certification program.  This is key in getting other members on board to participate in the program so utilities can benefit from the value it provides.

Why the OpenADR International Symposium is a Must-Attend Event – By Rolf Bienert, Managing and Technical Director, OpenADR Alliance

We all have hectic schedules these days and finding time to attend events has become more and more difficult. Most would agree, however, that networking with industry colleagues and subject matter experts in person offers an undeniable benefit, thanks to the new business and learning opportunities that are created.

Japan's move to open its electric energy sector to new entrants presents a ripe business opportunity for U.S. consultancies and other firms and organizations wanting to help it make the transition.

OpenADR Alliance

When you enjoy the position of being the only global standard, it seems only natural that you'll be called upon to consult with new markets. That's how the OpenADR Alliance, based in California, got involved in Japan's move to a competitive market.

The OpenADR standard for automated demand response is often misunderstood as just a standard for demand response. In fact, it is a powerful standard capable of supporting a broad spectrum of applications that fall under the demand response umbrella. As the only global standard for demand response, OpenADR is uniquely positioned to address a multitude of load control and load management applications. To view article click here http://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-utilities-can-help-fix-smart-grid-education-problem

When choosing thermostats which are the best options for Bring Your Own Thermostat programs, always look for OpenADR 2.0b certification. OpenADR 2.0b is a standard-based communication protocol that helps improve energy savings and ease of participation in demand response programs. To view entire article visit: http://www.intelligentutility.com/article/15/03/why-utilities-need-embrace-new-connected-technology

Southern California Edison is the latest utility to pilot the use of electric vehicles for grid services. SCE is using 80 level 2 chargers at different utility facilities for the project in order to test various pricing options for demand response events.

“This is the largest deployment of charge stations enabled for demand response today,” said Brett Hauser, CEO of Greenlots, the company that will provide the smart charging platform for the pilot.  To read entire article visit: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/sce-tests-electric-vehicles-for-demand-response

The results of a partnership between Duke Energy, Ford and Siemens testing home EV charging technology are in. The 18-month long pilot with Ford and Duke Energy in Erlanger, Kentucky, showed how EV charging solutions are helping homeowners better understand how much they are spending to charge their EVs and how they can manage their energy usage better from the comfort of their home. View article here.

Barry Haaser, managing director, was appointed to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee reporting to The Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. Haaser was appointed effective immediately through June 12, 2016 as a representative of the OpenADR Alliance.To view the entire release visit here.

New article by James Mater, QualityLogic and Rolf Bienert, OpenADR Alliance: Let's begin under the premise that you (end-user, utility, aggregator, etc.) want to acquire technology from different vendors, specify the communications interface between products and have all such products install and work together easily and quickly (similar to adding a new printer to your PC - sometimes it's called "plug and play"). To read entire article visit: http://www.energycentral.com/utilitybusiness/informationtechnology/articles/3043

AutoGrid is proud to announce Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as a customer. Our Demand Response Optimization and Management System (DROMS) application has been selected to implement and manage advanced demand response demonstrations, enabling BPA to schedule and automate events and see actual load shed during events.

Entire press release:
http://www.auto-grid.com/gallery/autogrid-bpa/

Universal Devices, a leader in energy management and automation devices, today announced the deployment of “Energy Management In a Box.” The new offering, the first low-cost system configured for the small and medium business (SMB) market, complies with California’s Title 24 building requirements and further extends demand response (DR) using OpenADR. Read More: http://marketersmedia.com/universal-devices-brings-energy-management-in-a-box-to-small-medium-business-customers/66169

EcoFactor is achieving very solid energy savings in Nevada. Can it do the same around the country?

After a full year of offering residential efficiency and demand response services to customers in Nevada, EcoFactor is releasing third-party results showing very strong savings that appear to beat other leading competitors. To view entire article: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/third-party-results-show-ecofactors-home-energy-offering-works-really-well

Be sure to check out July's newsletter: http://www.openadr.org/newsletter-archive

The OpenADR Alliance today announced a strategic relationship with the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), a public private partnership initiative India's Ministry of Power (MoP) created to accelerate the development of smart grid technologies in the Indian power sector. The two organizations will work together to facilitate the adoption of Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR)in India, helping utilities in the country better maintain grid reliability, while providing customers with demand response-enabled products delivering enhanced energy efficiency. - See more at: http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/08/05/656163/10093040/en/India-to-Accelerate-Smart-Grid-with-OpenADR-Alliance.html#sthash.xTXnZGHz.dpuf

For more than a decade, utilities have been using Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR) as the basis of their demand response (DR) programs. For the uninitiated, OpenADR is an open and interoperable information exchange model that enables fast, reliable, and secure information exchange between Demand Response Program Operators, aggregators, and end customers. OpenADR is an initiative of the OpenADR Alliance whose ecosystem of more than 100 system operators, utilities, energy aggregators, and hardware and software companies support the standard.

View entire article: http://www.fiercesmartgrid.com/story/openadr-not-just-california-technology/2014-07-30?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

Energy providers commonly rely on demand response to shift or shed demand for electricity resources during electrical grid stress, when the price of electricity is high or when the grid needs to be balanced because of availability of renewable energy. A recent advancement in demand response called open automated demand response (OpenADR) is gaining popularity worldwide. OpenADR consistently conveys the demand response signals to energy aggregators and consumers from an energy provider, facilitating a timely and predictable response while allowing choices by end consumers.

The $197 billion Smart Grid market represents a significant business opportunity for utilities, equipment suppliers, system installers and end customers to leverage a new demand response (DR) standard called Open Automated Demand Response or OpenADR.

IPKeys announced today the successful conclusion of multi-phase pilots at PJM Interconnection for Ancillary Services (Synchronous Reserve and Regulation) utilizing IPKeys’ OpenADR 2.0b certified Energy Interop Server & System (EISS™). The pilot participants - Walmart, PJM, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Schneider Electric – succeeded in showing the technological feasibility of using the OpenADR 2.0b profile in the field for ancillary services and regulation signaling.http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140513005231/en/IPKeys-PJM-Walmart-BerkeleyLab-Schneider-Electric-Demonstrate#.U3IzsLTiPR4