September 19, 2010 — Energy technology providers are racing to hook businesses up to the smart grid using the OpenADR (automated demand response) standard, Powerit Solutions offers a Smart DRAS (demand response automation server) client as a commercial product.
With the California Independent System Operator (ISO) announcing last month that it will begin paying energy users to cut consumption on demand via its new Proxy Demand Resources program, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pushing other grid operators to make similar moves, opportunities for energy-intensive businesses to make money by reducing power use are multiplying.Advanced technology is essential for participation, however: new and upcoming programs require automated communications between user and supplier systems, along with quicker, more significant responses.
Powerit has prepared customers by incorporating the Smart DRAS client into its powerful Spara energy management system, an integrated hardware and software product that connects wirelessly to existing automation systems. Five Powerit industrial customers are now using Spara’s DRAS connectivity to participate in utility-triggered ADR, with two more slated to come online within weeks. Systems talk, energy users save The DRAS client “talks” with a utility or grid operator’s system via OpenADR, giving Spara users a dynamic connection: the supplier’s system notifies the user’s system of a demand response event, and Spara takes action according to energy usage rules set for that facility. Users can also set multiple electricity pricing levels where they want to respond with predefined actions.
Powerit worked on OpenADR with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which developed the standard and last year nominated Powerit for an industry award for its OpenADR implementation at Amy’s Kitchen.