PlugFest 3.0 centered around the new OpenFMB data model (Version 2.2), which established profiles for EV charging infrastructure as well as smart charging use cases. The event took place in Detroit, MI and was hosted by DTE Energy, who is a leader in OpenFMB adoption as well as EV integration. Attendees came from across North America (utilities, vendors, and national labs) with the following objectives:

1. Educate users through various levels of understanding/adoption of OpenFMB
2. Enable a sandbox for integration, testing, and demonstration
3. Foster a collaborative environment to share findings and build relationships
4. Build momentum within the industry for distributed intelligence and grid edge solutions

A main element of PlugFest 3.0 was working in real-time in a “sandbox” with a distributed architecture to enable various use cases. Some vendors brought products to integrate and demonstrate interoperability in a heterogenous ecosystem. Others deployed their OpenFMB capabilities to test compliance with the existing data model standard, in anticipation of a short-term goal for the Users Group of certifying products for OpenFMB compliance. Other participants brought products that demonstrate different capabilities of OpenFMB, such as backwards compatibility with previous data model versions. The final event with the “sandbox” was a demonstration of all OpenFMB capabilities to various IT and OT personnel at DTE Energy. The number of technical activities and breadth of demonstrated capabilities in this “sandbox” was well received and highly successful from the perspective of the host utility.

The rest of the scheduled event served as a forum for individuals to share objectives and accomplishments with the OpenFMB standard. DTE Energy discussed their view of the industry, their vision for grid edge capabilities, and how OpenFMB fits into that framework. Multiple utilities and labs spoke about their aspirations for interoperability and distributed intelligence. Vendors also shared their products/services and how they intended to serve the industry specifically within this space. The presentations provided a strong dialogue between all participants in the name of learning and advancing distributed intelligence.

The feedback on the event was tremendous, and it generated a lot of interest and motivation among attendees going back to their companies. The Users Group has several strategic goals as next steps that will strengthen its foundation (e.g., certification testing) as well as continue momentum within the community (e.g., release of v2.2, enhanced website) and the industry overall. Also, attendees heard about several planned implementations over the next year that are expected to generate a lot of interest and learning at other utilities and vendors with enabling technologies. The Users Group will be monitoring these items and more to determine when to bring everyone together for the next PlugFest.

OES, as a Software and Services provider of grid edge technology within the utilities industry, developed one of the earliest OpenFMB adapters in support of work at Duke Energy. It implements all components of the OpenFMB standard with mapping capabilities for many common industry protocols. It is available as open-source software. OES has incorporated OpenFMB into its software products, utilizing it as an interoperability layer for a set of managed services known as OpenDSO that is utilized by applications leveraging the distributed architecture to improve utility operations and efficiency. The software is in use by early adopters in both utility and government research organizations.

For the OpenFMB PlugFest specifically, OES helped organize, plan, and apply its experience and expertise to many of the event’s activities. Said Michael Burck, Co-Chair of the OpenFMB Users Group and OES’ Vice President of Services, “OES was privileged to be a part of PlugFest 3.0, and we appreciated the opportunity to continue to bring significant contributions to the OpenFMB community.”

For more information, be sure to view the "OpenFMB PlugFest 3.0 Review" slides:

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