Encyclopedia of DERMS Functionalities

The distributed energy resource landscape is continuously expanding and broadening its reach. Technology that started as mainly niche rooftop solar installations has now expanded to include heat pump water heaters, intelligent thermostats, battery energy storage, intelligent vehicle charging, and other devices. Increasingly, utilities have opted to deploy a software solution that can interact with these grid-edge technologies called a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS).

Evaluating, selecting, and justifying DERMS remains challenging due to the high cost of the solution and complexities in integrations, cybersecurity, and implementation timelines. SEPA and a task force of 12 utilities used insights from 11 DERMS providers to produce a comprehensive list of DERMS capabilities categorized in this encyclopedia. Utilities and regulators can use this encyclopedia to create a common language around DERMS and better understand the full capabilities of DERMS systems.

To read the full Encyclopedia, please submit the form.

Additional Resources:

• For an overview, read the DERMS: State of the Industry 2023 – Gaps & Opportunities summary report.
• Read the brief companion document, DERMS Encyclopedia Module Summary
• Read the Energy Central blog, “Demystifying DERMS: Understanding Their Capabilities“.

Authors

• Brittany Blair, Senior Analyst, Research & Industry Strategy, Smart Electric Power Alliance
• Mac Keller, Senior Analyst, Research & Industry Strategy, Smart Electric Power Alliance
• Robert Tucker, Director Consulting, TRC Companies, Inc.
• Ted Davidovich, Manager, Research & Industry Strategy, Smart Electric Power Alliance