Distributed Energy Resources

New energy policies, cost-effective technologies, and customer preferences for electric transportation and clean energy are transforming power system planning and operations, particularly at the distribution grid where consumers and businesses connect to the grid. DOE is helping policymakers, regulators, utilities, and stakeholders address challenges by coordinating best practices to enable the utilization of distributed energy resources (DERs). All of this effort is to ensure a reliable, resilient, secure and affordable power grid.

Highlights

Guiding the Evolution of the Distribution System

 

 

Full utilization of distributed energy resources requires advancements in the way we plan, operate, and design the electric grid. This will require that we mature current practices to more fully enable decentralized resources to address growing distribution and bulk power system needs.   

 Advancing current processes and practices will necessitate enhanced levels of coordination among policymakers, regulators, utilities, and their stakeholders. DOE is working with these groups to ensure that this transformation results in a reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable electric grid. 

Join the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X™)

A wind turbine in a field near a mountain.

Clean energy and energy storage systems need to be connected to the distribution grid through a process known as interconnection. As the number of installations rapidly increases, current processes can slow down. No one organization or entity can solve interconnection challenges alone. That’s why DOE and the national labs are partnering with utilities, grid operators, state and local governments, clean energy industry, non-profits, and others to facilitate solutions to improve the procedures related to how distributed energy resources are interconnected onto the grid.

Join the i2X™

Press Releases

Reports and Other Documents

Distribution System Architecture

This Distribution System Architecture project will establish the system architecture, referencing designs and functional requirements for a distribution system operational model that fully integrates consumer and community resources into the fabric of a transformed electric grid. The resulting guides will enable practitioners to apply grid architecture principles and concepts in the development of new distribution system architectures and designs, as well as associated grid technology roadmaps. 

Distribution System Architecture

Distributed System Evolution Report

Distributed System Evolution report.

Supporting Offices