OpenADR load shifting programs and device rebates
About the OpenADR Programs
The goal of this list is to help companies with load shifting capacity and OpenADR certification learn where they can use it and how much they will be compensated. The list does not include all load shifting programs, just those that require or use OpenADR.
Unlike other lists of OpenADR deployments (e.g. here and here), this list only includes currently available programs, not pilots. However, some "pilot" programs are included due to their huge scale and potential for ongoing enrollment (e.g. SCE's Charge Ready).
The list includes two basic categories of incentives: device rebates and load shifting incentives. Some programs offer both, but most are one or the other.
Device rebates are payments to offset the price of purchase by an end customer, which may be a commercial building, residential customer, etc. Devices that qualify for rebates can therefore have some of the purchase price covered by the utility, an excellent value proposition for both buyer and seller. Often, the utility requires a device to be OpenADR compliant before they will provide a rebate to make sure that device can be available to shift load in the near future in one of their load shifting programs.
Load shifting incentives are an ongoing reward for providing load shifting capacity into a program. Incentive amounts are usually scaled based on the amount of load shifted and are paid out on a monthly or yearly basis. These programs can be bid into directly by an end customer, but more often a company called an aggregator acts as a middleman to work with the end customer and connect them into the utility program. The aggregator could be the device manufacturer or a third party company. These can be a good source of income for all types of end customers: larger commercial buildings may make thousands of dollars a year by participating in these programs, and larger campuses can make much more.
If you have any questions about the programs or additions to the list, please contact us.
