24: ‘DERMS as We Know It is Dead’ with Ben Ealey of SEPA

In the world of energy and utilities, buzzwords and hot concepts have a way of going viral and becoming the most discussed issue at any given conference, journal, or even happy hour, but the natural question is whether or not the excitement and hype behind them is warranted. The world of distributed energy resources, or DERs, is a strategy that’s moved past simple hype and into an established and rapidly growing cornerstone of the utility business, but it’s also dragged with it one of those buzzwords that could still go in either direction: DERMs, or distributed energy resource management systems. Ben Ealey, Principal of Grid Integration at the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), has followed DERs and DERMS closely since they broke onto the scene, and he’s here to declare once and for all that DERMS as we know it is dead. What exactly does that mean, how did the rise and death happen so quickly, and where does the industry go from here? These are just a few of the questions that Ben walks Jason Price, host of the Power Perspectives Podcast, and Matt Chester, producer of the podcast, through in this thought-provoking episode. And with just a few weeks left until Halloween, we’re forced to ask: will this death be final or will DERMS rise again? Key Links: Ben Ealey’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/259176/about Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-22-%E2%80%98derms-we-know-it-dead%E2%80%99-ben