CASE STUDY: IEEE 2030.5 CSIP Implementation and SunSpec Certification for EV Charging
Client Overview
Client: OpConnect — EV charging infrastructure and platform provider
Markets: United States and Australia
Project: IEEE 2030.5 (CSIP) client implementation, utility program readiness, and SunSpec Alliance certification
Objective: Make OpConnect’s charging infrastructure and backend platform able to communicate with utility DERMS and grid coordination systems — and prove it through formal certification.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Why Protocol Readiness Was Not Enough
Utilities increasingly expect EV charging to behave like a controllable grid asset rather than a passive load. That expectation is encoded in IEEE 2030.5 and its Common Smart Inverter Profile, which define how distributed energy resources exchange data with utility systems and respond to grid signals.
OpConnect needed its EV charging infrastructure and backend platform to speak that language to utility DERMS and grid coordination systems. The goal, though, was never protocol readiness on its own. It was practical utility program participation, including support for Southern California Edison’s SIDER program — and the ability to operate under both core US CSIP expectations and the additional CSIP AUS requirements that Australian market participation demands.
CHALLENGE & GOALS
What OpConnect Set Out to Solve
Utility system interoperability
Enable the charging infrastructure and backend platform to communicate with utility DERMS and grid coordination systems using IEEE 2030.5 CSIP.
Two markets, two profiles
Deliver CSIP AUS-specific requirements on top of US CSIP, so one implementation could serve both markets where OpConnect does business.
Utility program participation
Move beyond protocol compliance to real program readiness, including the technical and program requirements of Southern California Edison’s SIDER program.
Independently proven
Certify the IEEE 2030.5 implementation through the SunSpec Alliance rather than self-attesting to compliance.
SOLUTION
Accelerator First, Then Certification
Codibly began from its IEEE 2030.5 client accelerator rather than a blank sheet, then configured and extended it for OpConnect’s architecture, charging infrastructure, backend systems, security requirements, and utility integration needs. Starting from a proven codebase is what kept the schedule tight.
The delivered integration covered secure communication, DER and device data exchange, control handling, telemetry, and utility-facing interoperability workflows. In practice, that gave OpConnect’s platform support for demand response, load shifting, remote control, and event-based grid services. Codibly also supported Southern California Edison SIDER integration and readiness, helping OpConnect meet the technical and program requirements needed to participate.
Certification was handled as a distinct engagement. Acting in its capacity as an official SunSpec Alliance certified test lab, Codibly led the formal certification testing that confirmed compliance and helped OpConnect achieve IEEE 2030.5 CSIP certification — an end-to-end path from first integration decision through independent verification.
RESULTS
What the Project Delivered
Accelerated implementation
IEEE 2030.5 CSIP implementation delivered quickly by building on Codibly’s IEEE 2030.5 client accelerator.
Dual-market coverage
US CSIP requirements delivered alongside CSIP AUS-specific requirements.
Utility program readiness
Southern California Edison program readiness supported and verified.
Official certification
IEEE 2030.5 CSIP certification achieved through the SunSpec Alliance.
Market position
OpConnect positioned as a certified, utility-integrated EV charging platform.
“Codibly worked with us each step along the way to help us quickly implement IEEE 2030.5 CSIP across both the US and Australian markets where we have business. They were an invaluable partner in helping us verify readiness for a key program with SCE and in getting us certified with the SunSpec Alliance. We are excited to continue working with them in the future.”
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CONTACT US
Planning your own IEEE 2030.5 rollout?
Talk to Codibly’s team about IEEE 2030.5 CSIP implementation, utility program readiness, and SunSpec certification for your charging or DER platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities coordinate distributed energy resources through standardised communication rather than bespoke integrations. IEEE 2030.5 and its Common Smart Inverter Profile define how a charging platform exchanges device data and responds to grid signals, which is what makes demand response, load shifting, remote control, and event-based grid services possible across a utility’s territory.
Both are regional profiles of the same base standard. CSIP defines the US expectations for how distributed energy resources communicate with utility systems; CSIP AUS adapts those expectations to Australian network requirements. A platform operating in both markets has to satisfy the core profile and the regional additions, which is why the OpConnect implementation covered both.
Certification is independent verification that an IEEE 2030.5 implementation behaves as the standard requires, tested by an accredited lab rather than self-declared by the vendor. For utilities evaluating a platform for program participation, that independent result removes a round of technical due diligence.
An accelerator supplies the standard-conformant client as a starting point, so engineering effort goes into the parts that are actually specific to the platform — architecture, backend systems, security requirements, and utility integration needs — instead of into re-implementing the protocol. That is the approach used here.