Challenge

The primary objective for the CPO was to achieve an effective, scalable, and automated integration with E.ON’s Switch OpenADR implementation. This was essential for participating in grid balancing services and optimizing energy consumption across their network. Key technical milestones included:

1. Seamlessly registering the CPO’s VEN client with the Switch platform.
2. Accurately creating and associating charging station resources with the VEN.
3. Reliably subscribing the VEN to available DR programs on the Switch platform.
4. Ensuring consistent reception and correct processing of OpenADR events dispatched by E.ON’s VTN Server.
5. Translating received DR events into precise, actionable commands for their individual charging stations.

Solution

A methodical approach was adopted to integrate the CPO’s VEN client with the E.ON Switch platform, ensuring each stage was validated for optimal performance.

VEN Registration and Resource Creation

The foundational phase focused on establishing the CPO’s VEN presence within the Switch ecosystem:

VEN Creation: The CPO’s VEN was programmatically created using the Switch OpenADR API via a POST request to the designated VEN endpoint. This step formally registered the VEN client, enabling secure communication with the Switch platform.

Resource Allocation: Following successful VEN creation, resources representing the CPO’s energy assets (charging station clusters or individual high-power chargers) were provisioned and associated with this VEN, again utilizing the Switch API. This accurately mapped the physical infrastructure for DR participation.

Program Discovery and Subscription

With the VEN and its resources established, the system was configured to actively engage with DR programs:

Program Identification: An API call was made to retrieve all available OpenADR programs from the Switch platform, identifying relevant DR schemes for the CPO’s participation.

Subscription Request: A subscription request was then sent from the VEN client to the VTN Server for the selected program(s), signaling the CPO’s readiness to respond to DR events. The Switch platform successfully acknowledged and activated these subscriptions.

Event Reception and Processing

A critical success factor was the VEN’s ability to reliably receive and process DR events in real-time:

Automated Event Reception: The VEN client successfully and consistently received events automatically for all active subscriptions. This confirmed the end-to-end communication flow for event dispatch from the Switch platform, enabling immediate response to grid signals.

Thorough Event Validation: To ensure comprehensive validation of the VEN client’s event processing logic, various OpenADR event scenarios were programmatically simulated and tested.

Example Event Structure: A typical validated event was an ObjectType: NOTIFICATION with operation: POST, containing an objectType: EVENT. It specified a powerLimit for target charging resources, including details like programID, eventName, targets, intervalPeriod, and payloads indicating the new consumption power limit (e.g., 1000 kW).

The VEN client successfully processed all received and simulated events, demonstrating its capability to accurately interpret diverse OpenADR event signals.

Results

The integration delivered significant outcomes, enabling the CPO with advanced demand response functionalities:

Seamless Integration Achieved: The CPO’s VEN client was successfully registered and subscribed to DR programs within the E.ON Switch platform, enabling active participation in demand response initiatives and new revenue streams.

Reliable Event Processing: The VEN client demonstrated its capability to reliably receive (both automatically dispatched and programmatically tested) and process OpenADR event notifications, ensuring timely adjustments to charging operations.

Precise Charging Control: Upon processing an event, the VEN client correctly formulated and dispatched command messages to the CPO’s charging stations. This allows for granular control over charging capacity based on DR signals.

Example Downstream Command: The generated command to a charging station, based on a received event, was typically a SetChargingProfile message. This message included parameters like connectorId, chargingProfilePurpose (e.g., ChargePointMaxProfile), validity period (validFrom, validTo), and a chargingSchedule specifying the new power limit (e.g., 1000000W, derived from 1000kW), ensuring compliance with the DR event.

This successful translation of OpenADR events into device-specific commands underpins the CPO’s ability to effectively operationalize demand response across their network.