OpenADR — Open Automated Demand Response — is the open standard utilities and grid operators use to send demand-response signals to buildings, energy systems and charging sites. It is the language of the message that says “the grid is under strain for the next two hours” in a form software can act on automatically, without anyone making a phone call.
Key Takeaways
- OpenADR is the open standard that carries demand-response signals from the grid side to sites and energy systems.
- It sits above OCPP in the stack: the site hears the grid, the charger hears the site.
- It standardises the message only — event frequency, notice and payment live in each program’s terms.
- Charging is recruited into demand response because parked cars can shift energy in time.
What the Signal Carries
A demand-response event is simple in outline: a utility or grid operator asks enrolled sites to reduce or shift electricity use for a set period, and the sites respond. OpenADR standardises how that request is formatted and delivered, so a site’s energy management system can receive it, understand its level and timing, and act — dimming, pausing or rescheduling loads it controls. The same standardisation that lets smart charging follow a time-of-use tariff lets a site answer a live grid event, except the trigger is the grid’s condition rather than a price table published in advance.
Where OpenADR Sits Among the Charging Standards
| Standard | Connects | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| OpenADR | Grid operator or utility ↔ site systems | Carries demand-response events and price signals a site can act on |
| OCPP | Charging station ↔ its network operator | Runs the station: sessions, status, limits and billing data |
| OCPI | Operator ↔ operator | Lets drivers roam between networks |
| ISO 15118 | Car ↔ charger | Handles the session conversation, including Plug & Charge |
The layers stack rather than compete. An OpenADR event arrives at the site or its management platform; the platform decides how to respond; OCPP then carries the resulting instruction — a lower power cap, a delayed start — down to each charger. A driver at the car sees only the outcome: a session that runs slower for a while, or starts when the event ends.
What It Means for a Site That Hosts Chargers
- Response can be automatic. Enrolled loads react to the signal without staff watching a dashboard, which is the point of the “automated” in the name.
- Charging is a good candidate load. Cars parked for hours can usually shift energy in time more easily than most building loads, which is why charging sites are recruited into these programs — and why bidirectional charging is being developed as the stronger version of the same idea.
- The program terms decide everything else. How often events are called, how much notice arrives and what the site receives in return are set by the program you enrol in, not by the standard. OpenADR only standardises the message.
The EVDANCE End of the Path
EVDANCE equipment works at the charger layer of the stack. The EVDANCE EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID) and the EVDANCE EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC fast charger (22 kW DC, OCPP 1.6J) take their instructions from the network or site platform above them — which is exactly where a demand-response signal, however it arrives, is turned into a charging limit. When you evaluate a site for a demand-response program, ask the platform provider how grid signals reach their system; the charger’s job is to obey the limit it is given.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenADR the same as OCPP?
No. OCPP connects a charger to its operator’s network. OpenADR connects the grid side — utilities and grid operators — to the sites and systems that use energy. A demand-response event may start as OpenADR and finish as an OCPP instruction to a charger.
Does my home charger use OpenADR?
Almost certainly not directly. Home managed-charging programs usually work through the charger maker’s or utility’s own platform and app. OpenADR is mainly a site and commercial standard, sitting in the systems above the charger.
Will a demand-response event stop my car charging?
Usually it slows or delays charging rather than stopping it, and enrolment terms — yours or your site host’s — decide what can be asked. The trend behind it, vehicles responding to grid needs, is the same one behind vehicle-to-home charging.
Related Reading
- Smart Charging and Time-of-Use Tariffs: How Scheduling Cuts EV Charging Costs
- Bidirectional Charging Explained: V2L, V2H and V2G
- When Will Vehicle-to-Home Be Available?
