What does DERs stand for?
DERs — Distributed Energy Resources — are small renewable and storage technologies located at the customer's side of the meter.
DER stands for Distributed Energy Resources. These are smaller generation and storage units located on the consumer side of the utility meter, rather than at centralized power plants.
DERs provide flexibility, resilience, and local energy independence while also supporting the broader grid. They include rooftop solar, battery storage systems, electric vehicle batteries (vehicle-to-grid), combined heat and power (CHP) units, biomass generators, fuel cells, and small hydro installations.
As utilities modernize the grid, DERs play an increasingly important role in managing peak demand, improving resilience, and reducing transmission losses. For building owners, DERs offer a path to lower energy costs, greater independence from grid price volatility, and improved sustainability profiles.