# The new wave of DERs

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2025-10-02
- Length: 39m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=7) Introduction: Dana Guernsey and the history of demand response
- [5:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=340) Evolution from manual utility programs to automated VPPs
- [11:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=677) Expansion of customer base and resource types
- [15:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=931) Geographic distribution and revenue smoothing
- [24:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=1454) Rate limiters: data access and market rules
- [28:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=1705) Voltus 'Bring Your Own Capacity' product launch
- [34:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders#t=2076) Mechanics of funding VPP capacity for data centers

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Voltus (company)
- EnerNOC (company)
- EnergyHub (company)
- PJM (other)
- MISO (other)
- SPP (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Solving a Renewables Problem with Electric Vehicles](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-05-28-solving-a-renewables-problem-with-electric-vehicles) (EE Times Current)
- [Managing Energy At The Edge: Navigating The Modern Grid With Itron](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2024-09-05-managing-energy-at-the-edge-navigating-the-modern-grid-with-itron) (Over the Air)
- [213: Electricity Doesn't Act Like an Apple](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-08-31-213-electricity-doesnt-act-like-an-apple) (Embedded.fm)
- [Aligning Passion With Purpose: A Journey to Electrification and Sustainability](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2025-06-17-aligning-passion-with-purpose-a-journey-to-electrification-and-sustainability) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Powering EVs: Microgrids & DC Charging Solutions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2025-08-19-powering-evs-microgrids-dc-charging-solutions) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-02-the-new-wave-of-ders. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.