Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) are working to explore new technologies for coordinating distributed energy resources (DER) for maximum benefit. This project investigates:

• the state of the industry with respect to DER aggregation
• the real-world capabilities of individual DER as well as groups
• potential for customer engagement in supporting the grid
• practical challenges of communication and coordination
• future strategies for applying DER management to TEP grid operations

The goal of this project is to understand the capabilities of the distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) and the details of its interactions with field devices. Expanding on recent demonstrations of individual technologies, such as smart inverters and battery storage, Project RAIN—Resource Aggregation and Integration Network—is one of the first globally to explore how generation might be combined with flexible loads (such as electric vehicle chargers or smart thermostats) to create optimal responses to system needs. Open standards and protocols (such as SunSpec Modbus and OpenADR) will be featured in an effort to improve future system performance and reduce integration costs.