Distributed Energy Resources Management Systems (DERMS)

Distributed energy resources (DERs) have been acknowledged as strategic assets to support the continuous growth of global electricity demands. Besides, the constant growth of DER installations worldwide will significantly alter the way power systems are planned and operated, primarily due to the bidirectional power flow characteristics and the intermittent nature of DERs generation. In this context, distributed energy resources management system (DERMS) are a crucial technology to allow seamless integration, DER situational awareness, support by driving electrical market operations, and enabling grid services in the distribution network. Over the recent years, DERMS research and development has been conducted to establish not only the functional requirements for such technologies to operate but also defining open standards for data exchange and communication protocols contributing to facilitating the synergy between DERMS applications and the existing monitoring and control elements such as Energy Management Systems (EMS). As part of the efforts to establish the technology, utilities worldwide have been conducting DERMS pilot projects as a way to investigate the available benefits in real-world scenarios and possible gaps that still need to be addressed.