2026 Event Schedule

In response to the substantial increase in electricity demand driven by EV adoption, vehicle and home electrification, and the continued growth of distributed solar and behind-the-meter systems, PG&E has implemented an enterprise DERMS platform. This platform addresses immediate operational challenges while also laying the foundation for a long-term DER management vision.

The platform, with its initial use cases implemented, has been in production since late 2024. At the core of these use cases is a machine-learning-powered engine that generates day-ahead forecasts of distribution grid loading. Based on these forecasts and knowledge of as-switched topology, DERMS resolves capacity constraints on overloaded circuits and provides dynamic capacity increases when grid conditions permit. It calculates and sends hourly schedules to participating DERs using the IEEE 2030.5 protocol and operates in a fully automatic mode, enabling efficient scaling of operations while maintaining safe operations. 

In this session, we will share our experience with how DERMS is performing, focusing on the benefits that have been achieved across multiple value streams:

1. Customer value: Allows new load customers such as EV fast charging stations to connect sooner with more capacity, while also helping reduce fuel costs.
2. Utility value: Maximizes hosting capacity at the lowest possible cost by enabling timely and cost-effective interconnections  service connections. Enhances utilization of existing grid infrastructure.
3. Community: Supports the green energy transition and contributes to reduced CO₂ emissions. 

With the system having been in operation for over a year, these benefits have been continuously tracked and quantified daily and monthly, and representative KPIs have been developed. During the session, we will present them and discuss learnings along with our projected scaling across multiple dimensions—geography, # of sites, and capabilities (e.g., integration with demand response programs).