2027 Event Agenda

As utilities scale distributed energy resource programs, DERMS implementations are increasingly shaped by evolving regulatory requirements, overlapping use cases, and compressed delivery timelines. This session presents a real-world case study from Xcel Energy, where multiple DERMS-driven use cases—Flexible Interconnection (FI), Flexible Energization (FE), Dispatchable Distributed Generation (DDG), and Distributed Capacity Procurement (DCP)—drove implementation across Colorado and Minnesota in response to shifting regulatory expectations. 

The session highlights the operational and technical challenges of delivering these programs, including the need to establish reliable interoperability between DERMS, IEEE 2030.5 gateways, and DER devices. At the same time, the team needed to align utility-specific requirements with existing platform capabilities while maintaining a solution that could adapt as regulatory, and program requirements continued to evolve. 

Mosaic and Xcel partnered to design and implement an approach that prioritized agility from the outset. Through phased deployment, a simplified initial architecture, staged DERMS and gateway testing, and incremental validation of communications, interoperability, and operational workflows, the team built a solution that could respond to changing requirements without sacrificing reliability. Attendees will gain practical insights into how to structure DERMS implementations that support near-term delivery while remaining flexible, scalable, and responsive to an evolving regulatory landscape.