Is now the time for DERs to scale?

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Sep 18, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Andy Lubershane, a partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners, dives into the evolving landscape of distributed energy resources (DERs). He explains why they failed to thrive a decade ago, primarily due to high costs and low market demand. Now, with increasing grid bottlenecks and decreasing costs, he makes a compelling case for a DER comeback. The conversation also unpacks the differences between demand response and virtual power plants, and the potential challenges that still lie ahead for scaling these innovative technologies.

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INSIGHT

Dispatchability Is The Key Differentiator

Many DERs like solar and energy efficiency help planners but lack an "on/off" button for real-time grid operators.
Grid operators increasingly need dispatchable resources that can be controlled in real time.

INSIGHT

DERs Have Useful Limits

Batteries and flexible loads provide dispatchable capacity but have limits like duration or customer tolerance.
Operators must plan around those limitations rather than treating DERs as full replacements for traditional assets.

ANECDOTE

2017 Utility Engineers Found Few NWA Wins

In 2017 EIP convened utility engineers to ask where non-wires alternatives were being used and found almost none.
That experience convinced Andy the system simply didn't need DERs widely back then.

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A decade ago, DERs were hot. The hype was that things like batteries, smart devices, and other distributed energy technologies would offset the need for expanding traditional grid infrastructure.

But DERs never took off, at least not at the scale that many hoped for. They had high price tags and short track records compared to the existing substations, transmission lines, and generation options that utilities were familiar with. In short, the market didn’t need them yet.

Fast forward 10 years, and things have changed. Load growth is increasing while major grid bottlenecks — like in transmission, interconnection, and supply chains — may be opening up a new opportunity.

So is the time finally right for DERs?

In this episode, Shayle talks to his colleague Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners. Last week, Andy published a blog post making the case that DERs were a good idea that was just too early, but the market is ready now. Shayle and Andy cover topics like:

What held DERs back a decade ago

Why now is different, including falling system costs and growing grid bottlenecks

The difference between demand response and virtual power plants

The potential hurdles to scale, like supply chain bottlenecks, foreign entity of concern regulations, and fire codes

Resources:

Latitude Media: Can distributed energy answer AI’s power problem?

Open Circuit: The grid flexibility solutions staring us in the face

Catalyst: Making DERs work for load growth

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Catalyst is brought to you by Anza, a solar and energy storage development and procurement platform helping clients make optimal decisions, saving significant time, money, and reducing risk. Subscribers instantly access pricing, product, and supplier data. Learn more at ⁠go.anzarenewables.com/latitude⁠.

Catalyst is supported by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform by visiting ⁠energyhub.com⁠.

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