The new wave of DERs

Catalyst · 2 Oct 2025 · 39m

What this episode covers

Dana Guernsey, co-founder and CEO of Voltus, and former director at EnerNOC, explains the evolution of demand response from manual utility programs to automated Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) involving millions of devices. She details Voltus's new 'Bring Your Own Capacity' model, which allows large loads like data centers to fund regional VPPs to accelerate grid connection. Guernsey highlights that while market structures and data access remain barriers, the integration of diverse resources like EVs, thermostats, and batteries is smoothing out revenue streams and providing a faster, cheaper alternative to new generation infrastructure.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EE Times Current · 37m

    Solving a Renewables Problem with Electric Vehicles

    Ritesh Tyagi, head of product innovation and growth strategy at Infineon, explains that while power generation is sufficient, the electrical grid's 100-year-old infrastructure struggles with transmission and managing peak demand from renewables and EVs. He argues that Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology allows the massive battery capacity of EVs to act as distributed storage, stabilizing the grid. Tyagi emphasizes that modernizing the grid requires next-generation semiconductors like silicon carbide and gallium nitride, along with increased sensor integration and AI for intelligent load management.

  • Over the Air · 31m

    Managing Energy At The Edge: Navigating The Modern Grid With Itron

    Nick Tumilowicz, Director of Product Management at Itron, discusses the challenges of managing the aging electrical grid amid the energy transition, focusing on transformer capacity limits and the shift to underground infrastructure. He explains how Itron leverages its installed base of smart meters as edge compute devices to enable real-time, autonomous load management for distributed energy resources like EVs and solar. The conversation covers the long sales cycles in the utility sector, the cultural differences in grid adoption between the US and Europe, and the importance of balancing technological innovation with customer incentives.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 17m

    213: Electricity Doesn't Act Like an Apple

    Gretchen Bakke, a professor of anthropology at McGill University and author of The Grid, discusses the physical and cultural realities of the US power grid. She explains that electricity must be balanced second-by-second, creating challenges as variable renewable sources like wind and solar replace controllable fossil fuel plants. Bakke argues for a shift from centralized, brittle infrastructure to resilient, modular microgrids and smart devices that can manage demand and storage locally.

  • Moore's Lobby · 56m

    Aligning Passion With Purpose: A Journey to Electrification and Sustainability

    Dr. Mital Kanabar, Senior Director of Innovation at GE Vernova, discusses the 'energy trilemma' of security, affordability, and sustainability as power demand surges from EVs and AI data centers. He explains how GE Vernova's GridBeats platform uses software-defined automation and edge AI to manage bidirectional power flow and grid stability without massive hardware upgrades. The conversation covers the role of small modular reactors (SMRs), cybersecurity in operational technology, and the workforce challenges facing the utility industry.

  • Moore's Lobby · 41m

    Powering EVs: Microgrids & DC Charging Solutions

    Antonio Di Vaira, Senior VP for Power Products at Schneider Electric, discusses the critical need for grid modernization driven by EV charging and AI data centers. He explains how microgrids and native DC distribution offer efficiency and resilience solutions, citing a pilot project at Schneider's Raleigh campus. Di Vaira also highlights the company's 'Flexset' switchboard, a modular, kit-built product designed to reduce lead times and empower electricians, while emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary engineering and customer-centric design.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Catalyst. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.