A recent Market Watch news article, “OpenADR 2.0a Smart Grid Standard Verified,” announced the successful testing of the first servers and clients based on the OpenADR 2.0a profile standard. This struck me as particularly interesting because DNV KEMA is currently working on a smart grid project with a partner in the UK, called the Thames Valley Vision (TVV).

TVV is an Ofgem Low Carbon Network Fund project that has been established by SSE Power Distribution to ensure a high quality and affordable electricity network in a low carbon future. It is a fully integrated project that addresses monitoring, modelling, and management of the network. One of the first network management techniques to be deployed will be the Automated Demand Response (ADR) solution to directly control customers’ electrical load according to prevailing network conditions.

This solution, provided by Honeywell, requires an Automated Demand Response Gateway device to be installed in each building enrolled on the ADR programme. The Gateway accesses external software to initiate an “electricity load shedding strategy” programmed into each building’s Building Management System (BMS). This system has pre-agreed areas where electricity can be turned down or off as needed. Only areas that have no or minimal impact on the building occupants are accessed; these include adjusting frequencies on air handling units, turning off lights in unoccupied offices and, for example, turning off pumps in ornamental lakes. At all times the building owner retains complete control by having to confirm participation prior to any event.

This BMS control solution is also targeted at the larger-scale power utility customer. The seamless operation of Automated Demand Response for all power utility customers in the future will require open standards to deliver services. And lets not forget, the customer must see the direct benefit from the product and commercial offering if we want to see mass-market adoption. With a five-year goal of thirty participants, TVV has achieved this for almost twenty customers in just the first few months. Currently, technical and commercial solutions both have their challenges, but we should always be mindful of building a fantastic technical solution that supports customer benefits!

By: Graeme Sharp, principal consultant, DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability

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The Thames Valley Vision website will be available in June.