200 membership boost driven by wave of innovative new business models
The OpenADR Alliance has announced significant membership growth to reach 200 members as the demand for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and supporting technologies increases. The Alliance, a global ecosystem of software and platform providers, device manufacturers, utilities and operators, and EV service equipment companies, has seen a new group of companies join in recent months, including those with innovative EV business models such as payment systems.
Created to foster the development, adoption, and compliance of the OpenADR and related communications standards, the OpenADR Alliance reached its member milestone this month, as managed EV charging platforms and systems became the fastest growing component. According to industry forecasts, global EV sales are projected to reach 16.2% of total vehicle sales in 2024, with the demand for EV charging and energy management platforms growing exponentially.
Rolf Bienert, Technical & Managing Director, OpenADR Alliance, comments: “As a global ecosystem, the OpenADR Alliance is going from strength to strength, evolving to meet new technology developments and investment in EV charging. It’s encouraging to see this momentum build as utilities, automotive manufacturers, platform providers and companies offering new solutions work together to meet the challenges of creating a fast, reliable and robust infrastructure. We’re proud to be part of this EV revolution.”
Among the newest members are:
- EVchron – owns and operates a network of DC Fast chargers
- Hypercharge – provides smart EV charging solutions for businesses, commercial EV fleets, municipalities, etc.
- Orange Charger – EV charging solutions with a focus on property owners and multi-dwelling units (MDUs)
- PayEnergy – the first cashless EV charger company
- Wevo Energy – EV charging management systems (acquired by SolarEdge in 2024).
Energy flexibility in Europe
As more governments and policy makers in Europe specify open standards as part of energy demand flexibility, new European members are also rolling out cutting-edge software and technology solutions to support several utility-led programs. Boosting the Alliance membership, Codibly in Poland, Cuculus in Germany, and E.ON Energy in Sweden, all joined in the last six months.
One flexibility project features the E.ON SWITCH digital e-marketplace product for grid flexibility, aimed at network operators and customers who can opt in to become suppliers of green electricity. OpenADR is the recommended standard for server-to-client communication of conditional flexibility and, in Sweden, the open source openLEADER implementation was used as a starting point.
OpenADR Alliance recent milestones:
- OpenADR 3.0 is the latest version of the OpenADR communications standard and certification program, which encourages development of standards-based products. Launched at the end of 2023, OpenADR 3.0 supports a growing range of distributed energy resources (DER), including EV charging, renewables and energy storage.
- One of the largest US distribution utilities, Duke Energy is now working with Ford Motor Company (the first automotive manufacturer to join the OpenADR Alliance Board of Directors in 2023) on two new vehicle-to-grid (V2G) projects to optimise the energy stored in EVs for residential customers using OpenADR.
- EcoPort, OpenADR’s newest product testing and certification program for CTA-2045 compliant products, is being adopted by more utilities looking to deliver demand response and DER programs that turn customers’ appliances, such as water heaters and heat pumps, into a potential grid resource.
- As the list of EcoPort-certified products grows and innovation accelerates in the HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) sector, OpenADR recently participated in regulatory efforts that have seen two US states – Washington and Oregon – pass laws effective in 2023 prohibiting sales of water heaters unless they have EcoPort installed. EcoPort is also referenced in the US Department of Energy’s program, Energy Star.
- In Europe, the OpenADR Alliance is strengthening ties with other standards bodies and government/policy organisations. This includes the UK’s Department of Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ), which has written OpenADR into two BSI standards, EEBUS in Germany, and Smart Energy Europe (smartEn), which lobbies for energy flexibility as part of the transition to clean energy.
- The OpenADR Alliance has exhibited and presented at a growing list of industry events in the US, Europe, and further afield in New Zealand and Australia, including DistribuTECH 2024, ENLIT Europe, FLEXCON, RE+, AHR Expo, PLMA Conference, and Power + Utilities Australia, with more OpenADR Alliance member companies than ever now attending.
