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OpenADR at Voltus

This page provides a general description of OpenADR and how it is used at Voltus.

What is OpenADR?​

Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR) is an open protocol for exchanging information about Demand Response (DR) and Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Voltus supports OpenADR 2.0a, which specifies a protocol for retrieving and acknowledging grid events.

The OpenADR protocol relies on two servers: Virtual Top Nodes (VTN) and Virtual End Nodes (VEN). A VTN transmits OpenADR signals to end devices or other intermediate servers. A VEN is typically a "client" and can be an Energy Management System (EMS) or other end device that accepts the OpenADR signal from the VTN. In our case, Voltus provides a VTN, and our partners run one or more VENs. Our partners are usually able to use existing VEN implementations.

FAQ​

What versions of OpenADR does Voltus support?​

Voltus supports OpenADR2.0a via Simple HTTP (PULL). This means your VEN will make regular requests to our VTN to receive dispatch signals over HTTPS. We recommend polling on a 1-minute cadence. Upon receipt of a DR event, your VEN should send an acknowledgement request.

Why don't you support OpenADR 2.0b or 3.0?​

Neither are widely supported enough for Voltus to commit to developing an integration.

Can I see an example payload?​

yes, please see our API reference docs.

I have multiple sites. Do I need one VEN for each site?​

No. You only need one VEN. Each OpenADR signal includes a list of targeted sites.

If you prefer to have multiple VENs, discuss your needs with our team so we can configure your integration appropriately.

How does authentication work?​

OpenADR uses mutual TLS (mTLS) authentication. To set up your initial integration, you will have to send us a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). We will send you a certificate, and you will include this Voltus certificate with every VEN request.

How can I identify which site is participating in a dispatch?​

As per the specification, we use the resourceID field to identify sites affected by a dispatch. it will contain the customer_location_id of the site. As the name indicates, the customer can choose what value this is.

Can I send telemetry via OpenADR?​

No. The Voltus API provides an endpoint for sending telemetry data.

Further Reading​

The full OpenADR2.0 specification can be downloaded from the official openADR website. You will need to make an account to download the files.

OADR Dispatch Sandbox​

Make a request to our Sandbox environment. No authentication is required:

curl --url https://sandbox-vtn.voltus.co/sandbox/OpenADR2/Simple/EiEvent --data \
'<ns3:oadrRequestEvent xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ns/energyinterop/201110/payloads" xmlns:ns2="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ns/energyinterop/201110" xmlns:ns3="http://openadr.org/oadr-2.0a/2012/07">
    <eiRequestEvent>
        <requestID>d1ea6d65-4998-4e1f-959d-40e765588b5d</requestID>
        <ns2:venID>fake_test_ven</ns2:venID>
    </eiRequestEvent>
</ns3:oadrRequestEvent>'

You will get an empty OK response that looks something like this:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<oadr:oadrDistributeEvent xmlns:ei="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ns/energyinterop/201110" xmlns:oadr="http://openadr.org/oadr-2.0a/2012/07" xmlns:pyld="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ns/energyinterop/201110/payloads">
    <ei:eiResponse>
        <ei:responseCode>
            200
        </ei:responseCode>.
        <ei:responseDescription>
            OK
        </ei:responseDescription>
        <pyld:requestID>
            d1ea6d65-4998-4e1f-959d-40e765588b5d
        </pyld:requestID>
    </ei:eiResponse>
    <pyld:requestID>
        87c39338-2290-4db0-9788-63ac706aed64
    </pyld:requestID>.
    <ei:vtnID>
        voltus_sandbox_vtn
    </ei:vtnID>
</oadr:oadrDistributeEvent>