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.
The OpenADR 2.0 DR Program Implementation Guide is a tool for utilities to utilize the OpenADR standard and to implement different kinds of demand side management programs. The test harness used in the certification program validates interoperability of VTNs and VENs supporting a number of programs including:
- Critical peak pricing,
- Capacity bidding program,
- Thermostat program (Thermostat)/direct load control (DLC)
- Fast DR dispatch (Fast DR)/ancillary services program
- Residential electric vehicle (EV Charging) DR program
- Public station electric vehicle (EV Charging) real-time pricing program
- Distributed energy resources (DER) DR program
More programs are under consideration and industry input is welcome.
I am optimistic that we will continue to see a number of products complete the program with certified products entering the market this coming year. Electriq Power is the most recent member – and the first full-fledged residential storage system - to complete the test and certification program with the PowerPod, a smart home battery backup system designed to save on electricity costs and protect against blackouts. I had a chance to talk with Jan Klube from Electriq Power to learn more about why certification is important to their business.
RB: How does product certification help your company to address new use cases and markets?
JK: More powerful grid services require partnership integration across a wide range of requirements and capabilities. The OpenADR certification ensures a smooth software integration, allowing teams to focus on business and customer goals, rather than implementation detail.
RB: What is missing in the industry to get closer to “off the shelf” interoperability?
JK: The metadata that describes systems participating in programs, grid and other infrastructure information is held in proprietary formats today. To maximize automation of fleet management, this proprietary information requires specialized integration and development.
RB: Why did you choose to get the Program Guide testing and certification?
JK: Certification of energy storage products like our PowerPod to specific and relevant DR programs further expedites the successful system integration with a wider range of partners.
RB: What is your message to utilities to generate more vendor interest?
JK: There are companies like Electriq Power ready to prove that these program integrations properly function and provide value. A message from utilities that embraces OpenADR as a clear choice would accelerate the interest of more vendors.
RB: What are the benefits OpenADR brings to developing solutions?
JK: It is a flexible and well-defined standard that will serve us well in the future. Minimal change should continue to address new requirements with equally minimal development effort.
RB: Why should consumers care about product certification and OpenADR certification specifically?
JK: Consumers should be made aware that OpenADR certified products enable a variety of new energy management capabilities that improve both the environment and their lifestyle.
For more information on Electriq Power, please visit: https://electriqpower.com/. To learn more about the OpenADR Alliance, please visit www.openadr.org. To download the DR Program Guide, please visit: https://www.openadr.org/dr-program-guide