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EPRI Unveils Open-Source Demand Response Software

January 21, 2015 by Jeff Shepard

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) unveiled demand response software today that would provide a common way for devices and appliances on the electric grid to respond automatically to changes in price, weather, and demand for power, a process called automated demand response (ADR). ADR makes it possible to translate changes in wholesale markets to corresponding changes in retail rates. It helps system operators reduce the operating costs of demand response (DR) programs while increasing its resource reliability. For customers, ADR can reduce the cost of electricity by eliminating the resources and effort required to achieve successful results from DR programs.

The EPRI ADR software was certified by the OpenADR Alliance , an organization of stakeholders that fosters the development, adoption, and compliance of the Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR) standard through collaboration, education, training, testing, and certification.

"Release of this software is a critical step in developing open, interoperable standards that will facilitate the emerging integrated grid," said Mark McGranaghan , vice president of Power Delivery and Utilization at EPRI. "Making this software freely available to the industry will accelerate the adoption of standards-based demand response." The EPRI integrated grid concept envisions a robust electricity grid that effectively integrates distributed energy resources – ranging from rooftop solar to demand response.

The software was developed by a collaborative that included American Electric Power, California Independent System Operator , Électricité de France S.A. , ESB Networks Ltd. ( Ireland ), Kansas City Power and Light Company , New York Independent System Operator , The Southern Company, and Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc.

EPRI guided the development of the software to accelerate the adoption of OpenADR, to validate its specifications, and to provide another way to enable the creation of new products and services that use demand response to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of operating the electric grid.