The mega trends of the energy transition are introducing macro disruptors to the electric grid, including increased load demands on its aging infrastructure in conjunction with new regulations that drive faster rates of DER adoption. Today, few utilities have the visibility and situational awareness they need to manage the grid edge.

In this panel, stakeholders from several utilities — AES, Duke Energy, and DTE Energy — will discuss how they are investing in and planning to implement new grid edge interoperability technologies to ensure reliability via distributed controls, while also coordinating with existing centralized systems and decentralized automation devices.

With operating electric utility companies in Indianapolis and Dayton, AES will share its latest smart grid filing in Ohio comprised of field-deployed technologies and foundational investments that support analytics-driven insights and improve economics, data utilization, security, resilience, and responsiveness of the grid.

Duke Energy will present its Carolinas resource plan that includes deploying 2.7 GW by 2031 of energy storage as flexible supply-side resources along with grid edge investments in integrated volt-var control, demand response, and energy efficiency capabilities.  

DTE Energy will discuss its 4-point reliability plan that involves foundational investments in a new system operations center, a state-of-the-art grid management system, and over 10,000 smart grid automation devices to reduce power outages by 30% and cut outage durations in half by 2029.