Building performance improvement is not just about consuming less energy it is also about managing when this energy is consumed. The next area of gains in savings will be in participation in demand management programs. Renewables like wind and solar are by very nature intermittent. Dealing with this excess generation when not needed and fill the demand when it is not present is of significant challenge. Recent Smart Grid standards sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and managed by Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards have created a single open standard solution for energy communications called Open Automated Demand Response version 2.0 (OpenADR 2.0.) These standards use the latest Secure Service Orientated Architecture.

The objective of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility of using OpenADR 2.0 – an open standard web services-based system to allow machine-to-machine communication between Department of Defense (DoD) facilities and energy providers to enable secure participation in the new grid balancing/demand management programs.

The solution consists of two parts: a cloud-based server to distribute market signals from an energy provider according to a standard format and client side end points to convey market signals to facility energy management systems and/or demand response assets. The server and end points are connected via OpenADR 2.0 web services over an Internet Protocol network connection. The end points allow existing energy management systems to interface with these open standard web services rather than requiring expensive building upgrades.

The meter data was reviewed and fed into the model, however, no performance assessment was performed due to delays in obtaining the ATO accreditation to demonstrate the technology. With respect to costs, Automated Demand Response costs are all up front. Ongoing costs are only incurred if the building management system is changed or updated. These costs are typically nominal. Camp Pendleton would receive approximately $60,000 per year with a $20,000 one-time implementation cost.

The research team has learned during this demonstration that the most critical step is the cyber accreditation. New instructions from the Office of the Secretary of Defense Chief Information Officer to cover internet of things (IoT) types of devices were introduced during this demonstration. Since most of these IoT devices require network access, they present a potential vulnerability and the assessment of risk can vary. The research team saw that a simple change in personnel at Picatinny Arsenal resulted in a decision to withdraw due to the potential risk/reward analysis that every facility Information System Security Manager (ISSM) must perform.

To successfully navigate this evolving landscape, the research team believes these three items are required:

1. Endorsement from command that has the capability to accept risk for the facility.

2. Buy in from the facility ISSM before starting.

3. A complete understanding of the difference between the DoD and the commercial world.