Emerging iDER Platforms Remain Key To Our Energy Future

Source: Peter Asmus · FORBES · | October 14, 2020

Solar Energy Generation on the desert at high altitude the best conditions for solar generation with ... [+] GETTY

Due to climate change, organizations and governments are navigating the energy transformation that is already underway. Technology advances and evolving market rules such as the recent US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order No. 2222 require new approaches to integrating distributed energy resources (DER) with the grid. The key to value creation lies in the ways these DER assets are integrated into onsite energy networks to bolster resiliency and foster sustainability. It also requires innovative business models that recognize previously hidden value for end users and stakeholders across the broader energy system.

A fundamental rethink of strategy and planning as well as organization and system operations that embrace DER networks will be needed for a successful transformation. The result should be an energy system better attuned to evolving demand and customer needs and more compatible with a rapidly changing policy and regulatory environment.

That’s the big picture and the fundamental premises underlying Guidehouse Insights’ overarching concept of the Energy Cloud. But what do these generalizations mean when getting down to the details as rapid change sweeps through our energy, mobility, and urban infrastructure? The value of DER assets can only be realized fully if they are integrated into markets, customer sites, and the grid in a way that creates shared value. Most use cases for DER support electrification goals and focus on behind-the-meter applications such as onsite power generation, but they do not support the larger grid network or incumbent utility suppliers.