Distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) are a key component in utilities’ march toward a decentralized energy approach.
Record amounts of grid-friendly tech like smaller renewable and storage projects, electric transportation, microgrids, and virtual power plants are being added everyday. DERMS can help keep the grid stable, easing utilities into the energy transition.
The utility POV: Utilities can use new DERMS solutions to alleviate grid stress and promote responsible consumption. Here’s how →
- Solar and wind often go hand-in-hand with supply fluctuation and grid instability. DERMS provide real-time monitoring and control for utilities, allowing them to more effectively engage customers with energy efficient demand response programs.
- DERMS centralize enormous amounts of data, which expedites decision making for utilities.
- DERMS often have automated compliance capabilities that make it easier to adhere to complex rules and regulations that come with distributed assets.
But DERMS have been slow off the block, at least at scale. Each utility has a unique set of customer habits to keep in mind for DERMS deployment, which takes time to implement and adapt to. Still, some utilities have deployed DERMS platforms successfully →
- Pacific Gas & Electric was Schneider Electric’s first customer last year for a “cloud-based” DERMS platform called EcoStruxure DERMS. The software operates on Microsoft Azure to make quick DER connections, respond to extreme weather conditions, and monitor demand. Schneider Electric said earlier this year that the cloud has gone live, but only Phase 1 of three is complete so far.
- Eversource Energy is using DERMS, along with smart-switch technology and storage, to integrate over 2 GW of DER in Massachusetts. But, utility-scale DERMS are still new for the company, and using customer-owned DER as grid assets will require “compensation frameworks approved by regulators,” an Eversource Energy exec said.
- San Diego Gas & Electric is using DERMS for grid analytics—private 900 MHz spectrum LTE broadband networks, to be exact. This data management solution increases real-time system awareness and speeds up responses as conditions change, according to Utility Dive.
Looking ahead: Two more utilities are in early stages of planning for potential DERMS systems in an effort to study customer behavior and stabilize the grid through customer-owned resources. Duke Energy is in talks for more predictive analytics, sensors, and machine learning tech, and Xcel Energy is trying to figure out which tech to consider as well as where and when to deploy them.
Want to read more about how utilities are leveraging DERMS technology? We’ve got a brand new Energy Central Special Issue out today, covering the realities, the possibilities, and the future of harnessing distributed energy. Check it out here.
