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What a DERMS of record is

A Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMSDistributed Energy Resource Management System. Software that enrolls, monitors, dispatches, and settles distributed energy resources for a utility. Some DERMS focus on the grid side, others on customers, devices, and programs.) of record is the system that holds the authoritative record for a utility’s customer programs. That record covers the customer, premise, device, enrollment, consentThe customer authorization that lets a program control a device and use its data. A DERMS stores the signed document, its version, and a hash so it can be proven later., event, telemetryData a device reports about itself, such as power, temperature, state of charge, or mode. Its cadence and completeness drive what M&V methods are possible., and settlementCalculating what each participant, aggregator, or program delivered and what it is owed or owes for a period.. If two systems disagree about whether a thermostat was enrolled on a given day, or what a customer was paid for an event, the DERMS of recordThe DERMS that holds the authoritative record of customer, premise, device, enrollment, consent, event, telemetry, and settlement data. It reconciles daily with the CIS and can be exported in full at exit. is the one that is right, and it can show why.

Three things make it a system of recordThe one system whose copy of a record is authoritative when systems disagree. Other systems mirror it. and not just a dispatchThe command that tells a device or fleet to change output or load at a set time. It can be a single event, a schedule, or a setpoint. tool:

• It reconciles daily with the utility customer information system (CISCustomer Information System. The utility system that holds customer accounts, premises, rates, and billing. A DERMS reconciles enrollments against it, often daily.). Account closures, premise changes, and move outs flow in, and mismatches land in an exception report.
• It keeps the math. Raw interval dataMeter or device readings recorded at fixed intervals, commonly 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or one hour. Settlement and baselines are calculated from it., estimates, baselines, and every version of a settled figure are kept with who approved what and when.
• It can be exported in full at exit, with identifiers, timestamps, relationships, and calculation history intact.

It helps to contrast it with two other kinds of system:

• A grid edge DERMSA grid side DERMS that sits next to the ADMS, knows the feeder and substation model, and plans DER dispatch around network constraints. It often relies on another platform for customer and device operations. sits on the grid side. It is close to the advanced distribution management system (ADMSAdvanced Distribution Management System. The utility control room platform that combines distribution SCADA, outage management, and network analysis. A DERMS may take event requests from the ADMS or send it fleet status.), aware of feeders and switching, and speaks utility standards to field equipment. It sees power flow, not customer agreements.
• A virtual power plant (VPPVirtual Power Plant. A fleet of distributed energy resources that is dispatched together to act like a single power plant. A VPP can reduce load, shift load, or inject power at set times.) operator aggregates devices to sell capacity. It usually holds its own customers and reports results, but the utility does not hold the record.

A utility often has, or will have, a grid edge DERMS as well. The RI DERMS is built to sit above, below, or beside one. The right position depends on who operates day to day: program staff working with customers, or grid operators working with feeders. In every position, one system owns the customer and device record, and the other reads a mirror of it. The grid edge DERMS page covers each pattern in detail.