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Topics covered by the DER Working Group include distributed PV, energy storage, demand management, electric transportation, distribution system design and operation, microgrids, and transactive energy.  The intersection of the distribution system with heat and fuel applications is an increasingly important area of interest.

Members of the DER Working Group are encouraged to interact with one another via Groups.IO, an online discussion platform and community network. The ESIG Resource Library is also a valuable tool for those seeking information on DER, as well as other topics.

Links to both can be found below:

 

 

 

(Please note: only members of ESIG may participate in the Working/Users Groups. If you are interested in membership, please email us at info@esig.energy)

DER Open Networks Task Force

(An Open Networks Project for the United States to Facilitate Reliable, Efficient Integration of DERs into the Electric Power System) – The Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) DER Working group task force seeks to educate and facilitate collaborative thought leadership amongst the electric power industry to better integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) into planning and operations to fundamentally unlock the benefits of DERs providing services to the grid. The initiative is fostering a dialogue between grid operators, distribution utilities, DER providers, FERC, and state regulators to facilitate reliable, efficient integration of DERs into the electric power system. The task force is assessing DER integration issues across a variety of jurisdictions in the US, with particular attention to integration of DERs into wholesale markets, in light of FERC Order 2222. Another component of the initiative is evaluating lessons learned from the UK and Australia Open Networks approaches to determine what may be applicable to the US. The task force includes a broad set of experts that span grid operations, distribution system operations and planning, technology developers, and regulatory issues.

Current work underway includes:

  • An assessment of the lessons learned from the UK and Australian open networks initiatives for DERs
  • The development of a roadmap for long term integration of DERs into US markets
  • The task force has been meeting on a monthly basis for detailed technical discussions on the above efforts

Completed work includes:

Task Force Lead: Priya Sreedharan, GridLab

Aligning Retail Pricing and Grid Needs

The goal of this task force is to explore how we can align price signals and incentives for customers with grid needs to maintain reliability. Our future grid will need flexibility and retail pricing is a powerful way to get flexibility from demand. The task force will bring together retail pricing experts and grid experts to see what types of solutions make sense in a future that is highly decarbonized, as well as a nearer term transition to that future.

Task Force Lead: Carl Linvill, Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)