Qmerit Article Explores New Ways for Utilities to Tap DERs in Addressing America’s Energy Capacity and Resilience

Smart meters could corral disparate energy from homes, buildings, and EVs

Qmerit, North America’s leading provider of implementation and integration solutions for electrification technologies, has released insights on how new smart and interoperable solutions that better connect utilities to homes and buildings could give America a new path for addressing its aging energy infrastructure and rising demand for electricity. In the article “Updating Our Electric Infrastructure – Challenges and Opportunities for Utilities in 2024,” Qmerit illuminates an emerging viewpoint that new technologies could enable utilities to leverage the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as electric vehicles and their charging systems in addition to home and building-based solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage. As energy policies take center stage, we should broaden our understanding of the resources available to the country. The article, released under Qmerit’s Electrification Institute, cites how utilities could harness new grid software to interact with smart meters at residences and commercial properties in gathering and acting upon energy usage information. This could enable utilities to not only draw upon the new pool of energy represented by DERs but also manage its fluctuating nature. “As energy policies take center stage in the coming months, we should broaden our understanding of the energy resources available to the country,” saidTom Bowen, President of Qmerit Solutions. “All the EVs on our roads, all of the solar panels and wind turbines coming to our homes and buildings should be seen as not just a source of power for an individual, but a reservoir that could be mined for wider benefit – not unlike the energy reserves that exist underground.” According to some estimates, renewable energy will make up 45% to 50% of the world’s power supply by 2030. Leveraging this source requires new solutions based on AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), said Bowen, given the dynamic nature of this energy. Unlike traditional power plants that produce a predictable stream for utilities, DERs provide energy on a more intermittent basis based on weather conditions and when and how drivers charge their vehicles. “We now have the technologies and related interoperability to not only manage the dynamic nature of DERs, but turn it into an advantage for the grid. It brings a new dimension to the challenge of how to modernize and expand grid infrastructure to meet the rising demand for electric energy.” Qmerit’s article also explores other factors that play into the ability to access DERs, including declining costs for capturing solar and wind-generated power and the ability of home and property owners to sell their energy back to the utility to help the community during periods of high demand. Also discussed is the role of demand-response programs and a complex regulatory landscape that will require utilities to implement compliance-management systems to meet requirements from states and local governments in addition to federal statutes. “Technology will be the driver in arriving to a new energy era in America, but it’s not the whole story – it’s also essential to address the role of the consumer when it comes to affordability, implementation, and ease of use,” said Bowen. “Technology may enable new possibilities, but its consumers who have the power to pull them into daily life.”

Read the Press Release