OpenADR: Unlock flexibility revenue for EV charging

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more widespread, Charge Point Operators (CPOs) face a growing challenge: balancing increasing energy demand with grid stability. OpenADR (Open Automated Demand Response) is emerging as a key tool to address this.

OpenADR automates load management in response to grid signals, enabling CPOs to cut operational costs, enhance energy resilience and transform charging stations into assets that actively support the energy system.

What is OpenADR and why does it matter for CPOs?

OpenADR is a standardised communication protocol that enables energy providers to send automated Demand Response (DR) signals to EV charging stations. These signals instruct stations to adjust their electricity consumption according to grid conditions, such as peak demand, network congestion, or real-time pricing. The protocol relies on a dual-node architecture: the Virtual Top Node (VTN), operated by the energy provider, which issues and schedules events, and the Virtual End Node (VEN), located on the customer side, which receives and executes these signals. Using standardised Internet-based messaging, OpenADR ensures fast, secure, and vendor-neutral communication, making it highly compatible with diverse systems.

💡 Let's take this example: During a peak load period, an OpenADR signal can instruct an EV charger to delay or reduce charging, helping the grid remain stable while lowering energy costs for the CPO.

OpenADR + OCPP: A powerful partnership

Interoperability is critical to creating a robust, future-proof EV charging infrastructure. By integrating OpenADR with OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol), CPOs benefit from enhanced technical synergy:

• Remotely monitor, configure and maintain charging stations in real-time via OCPP-enabled back-end systems

• Receive and act on automated demand response signals through OpenADR to support grid stability and load shifting

• Dynamically adjust charging profiles based on energy market conditions, real-time pricing, and local load constraints

The result: an intelligent energy ecosystem where charging infrastructure becomes an active, responsive, and revenue-generating component of the broader energy grid.

Key benefits for CPOs

Adopting OpenADR means:

✅ Cost reduction: Avoid penalties linked to critical peak pricing (CPP) by reducing power consumption during high-demand periods.

✅ Flexibility monetisation: Participate in incentive-based demand response programmes where grid operators financially reward CPOs for load reduction.

✅ Future readiness: Seamlessly integrate with renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, and ancillary grid services.

✅ Regulatory and market visibility: OpenADR-compliant stations meet technical requirements for public tenders and grid services programmes, particularly in the US and across Europe.

Integrate OpenADR into a charging infrastructure

There are two main approaches to integrating OpenADR depending on the scale and architecture of your network:

1. Station-by-station registration: Each charging point (EVSE) is individually registered as a Virtual End Node (VEN) within the OpenADR framework. This setup allows for detailed, localised control of each unit but may require higher complexity in management and local processing capabilities.

2. Aggregation via a central OCPP server: A Central Management System (CMS) that supports OCPP is configured as a single VEN in relation to the Virtual Top Node (VTN). This server receives OpenADR signals and translates them into smart charging commands that are sent to the relevant charging stations across the network. This approach is ideal for large-scale or multi-site infrastructures.

FLEXECHARGE provides out-of-the-box OpenADR integration across all asset types—chargers, batteries, and more—regardless of the underlying communication protocol. Through its hardware abstraction layer (CONNECT), the system enables vendor-independent, station-by-station registration and aggregation. Whether assets are connected via OCPP, Modbus, or MQTT, we ensure seamless interoperability. This means CPOs who are using HARMON-E benefit from implicit OpenADR compatibility, independent of the asset models or vendors deployed.

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Vendor heterogeneity made easy:

A CPO wants to phase out one brand of hardware and onboard another using a different protocol. Thanks to FLEXECHARGE’s hardware abstraction, the transition is plug-and-play—no system overhaul or openADR re-certification is needed. The CONNECT layer ensures the new devices integrate into the existing OpenADR framework effortlessly.

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Curious to know more?

➡️ Learn more about OpenADR

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