As electric cooperatives modernize their grids, the growth of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) continues to reshape how electricity is managed. These resources present significant opportunities, as well as operational complexity and increase visibility gaps, potentially requiring new approaches to coordination and cybersecurity. Cooperatives are adopting Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) to navigate this transition.
This report demystifies DERMS architectures by breaking down their capabilities and enabling infrastructure. It provides a practical, architecture-specific analysis designed to help cooperatives evaluate options, prepare internal teams, and build the foundational infrastructure required to deploy DERMS.
