The New Hampshire Electric Co-op pilots transactive energy rate program using OpenADR

Transactive energy is an intelligent, multi-layer communications process that organizes energy generation, consumption, and delivery.  During a transactive energy occurrence, power suppliers, energy markets and distributed energy resources (DERs), including electric vehicles and batteries, exchange to negotiate energy requirements and pricing.

Today security concerns, the economy, and daily life choices require a flexible and durable electricity system. Transactive energy is designed to improve energy efficiency, which results in a more resilient and reliable power grid.

The New Hampshire Electric Co-op’s (NHEC) hourly Transactive Energy Rate (TER) pilot program is an innovative way to maximize the value of investment in technology like EV charging, battery storage, and more.  The process needed to rapidly and automatically harmonize energy availability, consumer needs, and cost preferences to enhance energy system efficiency. The TER is an hourly electricity rate published each day for the following day, so customers can plan their energy use to take advantage of hourly variations in pricing.

Launching a TER program required a technical infrastructure to publish and communicate a dynamic, day-ahead price signal to member DER devices, have them respond accordingly, and communicate their energy usage information back to the utility for billing purposes.

OpenADR Alliance member Bellawatt was asked to build and manage this infrastructure and other key program components on behalf of the NHEC.Bellawatt chose OpenADR because so many of the national aggregators were already using the OpenADR protocol, making it easy for participants to get on board with an innovative program like the TER.

The main challenges centered around program data requirements, interoperability, and overall adoption. Certain program requirements can raise an aggregator’s participation costs and may be prohibitive – the goal: to ensure a low barrier to entry to encourage TER participation.

A communications protocol, which includes the following, was key to success:

a) Contained all of the data required for the TER program
b) Enabled interoperability for different devices and OEMs
c) Was internationally recognized and widely used in the industry
d) Cost-effective, secure, robust, and flexible.

The TER program uses OpenADR as a communications protocol between DERs and

The NHEC’s billing system. The creation of the registration portal and API allows members/aggregators to register their eligible DERs and participate in the TER program.

To learn more about the NHEC’s pilot program and results, visit: https://www.openadr.org/assets/NHEC%20Case%20Study%203-4.pdf