The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), based in Golden, Colo., has chosen software provider, Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) to implement a Strata Grid Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) at NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF).

The ESIF is one of the nation’s premier energy systems integration laboratory facilities focused on development and deployment of clean energy technologies and resilient distribution systems. NREL sought a DERMS capable of replicating utility control and the monitoring of distributed devices from small residential systems to the grid substation level.

SGS, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, has supplied DERMS software to distribution utilities, clean energy developers and asset operators. Example use cases of SGS’ Strata Grid DERMS system include the autonomous operation and coordination of modern grid devices, leveraging DERs for improved grid planning and operation, and demand-side management and customer engagement through bidirectional communication with utilities and energy market operations.

“DERMS-related research is core to the integrated, multi-disciplinary work happening at ESIF,” says Sarah Williams, NREL ESIF research project manager. “We have confidence we are developing a powerful toolbox with SGS to address both existing and future use cases,”

DERMS can enhance control and visibility for utilities and electric cooperatives, allowing their operators to manage incoming renewable energy resources and grid-edge devices for improved reliability, resilience and efficiency of the electrical system.

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