PurposeofReview This articlereviews thestatus of communication standards for the integration of energy storage into the operations of an electrical grid increasingly reliant on intermittent renewable resources. Its intent is to demonstrate that open systems communicating over open standards is essential to the effectiveness,efficiency,reliabilityandflexibilityofanelectrical grid composed of an intelligent network of distributed energy resources. Recent Findings Grid-integrated energy storage is expected to increase dramatically over the next 10 years, a prediction which assumessubstantialindustryalignmenttoacommonsetofcommunication standards that will make this growth possible. Four industry alliances have emerged in recent years as the dominant players in the development of open standards for energy storage systems and distributed energy resources: the MESA Standards Alliance (mesastandards.org), the SunSpec Alliance (sunspec. org), the OpenADR Alliance (openadr.org), and the Open Charge Alliance (openchargealliance.org). Summary Historical and pragmatic evidence demonstrates that industry-wide adoption of freely accessible and industry-driven open communication standards is essential to maintaining the grid’s flexibility and responsiveness. Two case studies—from Snohomish PUD in Everett, Washington, and at Austin Energy in Austin, Texas—illustrate the application of open communicationstandardstogrid-integrated,utility-scaleenergystorage,and tothemanagementofcircuitswithahighpenetrationofresidential solar photovoltaic and actively managed loads.

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• Open Communication Standards for Energy Storage and Distributed Energy Resources