Connectivity Standards Alliance and OpenADR Alliance Collaborate to Improve Grid Management Efficiency

The Connectivity Standards Alliance and nonprofit OpenADR Alliance announced an agreement that looks to enable faster adoption of management solutions related to grid-connected residential energy for their mutual members.

This collaboration is reportedly focused on addressing a communication gap between the energy grid and smart home devices in products such as solar panels, EV chargers, smart thermostats, and residential battery energy storage systems (BESS). Although manufacturers have focused on developing these smart devices to navigate shifting landscapes, the two organizations state they have also made it difficult to determine which protocols should be followed.

To address this, the Connectivity Standards Alliance established the Matter smart home protocol. The software was designed to handle in-home communication between appliances and an energy gateway. OpenADR Alliance developed its OpenADR 3 protocol, which enables communication between utilities, grid operators, and the central hub of a home energy system. Together, the companies claim these two protocols can enable an end-to-end pathway from the grid to an individual smart home device.

These protocols come during a time when utilities have reportedly faced pressure to modernize aging grids to make them fully compatible with smart home devices. The companies add that consumers can also benefit from these solutions through bill credit incentives by enabling their devices to respond to grid signals.

"This collaboration is about enabling utilities, manufacturers, and platforms to make things simpler for everyone across the energy ecosystem," said Jon Harros, Connectivity Standards Alliance head of testing and certification, in a statement. "By bringing the energy ecosystem together, our members are creating a clear roadmap for device makers, and enabling utilities to scale with confidence, resulting in trusted, reliable solutions consumers can depend on."

Overall, members from both companies are working towards making it easier to turn connected homes into active participants of these management solutions. They say that for regulators, these management tools help them recognize that an interoperable solution exists in the rapid shift toward renewable energy sources.

"By working with the members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, we can help position the next generation of smart home devices to participate in the flexibility programs that utilities and governments are counting on,” added managing and technical director of the OpenADR Alliance Rolf Bienert in a statement.