Future of Distributed Energy Resources

Distributed energy resources (DER), and the customers who deploy them, are no longer new to the energy space. Consumer-sited DERs such as rooftop solar, stationary batteries, electric vehicles, smart inverters, and dynamic loads are showing up in homes and business across the country, even making appearances at booths within Consumer Electronics Shows. In fact, Navigant research forecasts that DERs will more than double in penetration in the next 7 years in the United States, growing three times faster than new central station energy generation. While DERs no longer sit on the sidelines with consumers, the industry still has progress to make before fully unlocking the technical potential of these assets to improve grid design, operations, affordability, and consumer satisfaction.

In this CITRIS seminar, Ryan Hanley will highlight the potential that distributed energy resources hold for driving innovation in grid design, planning, and operations. Ryan will speak to SolarCity’s new cutting edge research, product development, and field deployments and while identifying opportunities for energy industry stakeholders to tackle some of the obstacles that inhibit the full utilization of DERs.