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Staff: Utilities show progress but readiness for DER aggregation varies; staff recommends phased DERMS rollout and cybersecurity standards
Summary
Technical staff told the commission utilities have made progress toward virtual power plants and DER aggregation but maturity varies by territory. Staff recommended phased DERMS deployment, standardization of registration, careful use of device-level metering pilots, and layered cybersecurity.
Deandre Wilson, representing technical staff, told the Public Service Commission that Maryland utilities show “meaningful progress” toward the capabilities needed for virtual power plants (VPPs) and distributed energy resource (DER) aggregation, but that readiness varies significantly across service territories.
Wilson said staff reviewed utility conceptual reports filed under commission order 91603 and found misaligned deployment timelines — for example, BGE’s standalone DERMS is scheduled to be operational by late 2025 while Pepco and Delmarva target 2027 — a gap staff warned could create temporary inconsistencies for statewide DER aggregation and VPP participation.
Key staff recommendations included encouraging PHI and other Exelon utilities to accelerate DERMS deployment where feasible by leveraging BGE’s experience, prioritizing scalable architectures that support third‑party aggregators, and expanding customer and aggregator education to boost participation. Staff also endorsed a 'least regrets' approach to DER registration by enhancing existing utility systems (interconnection databases, SFTP registries, Intellio Connect) while preserving future standardization to integrate with PJM’s hub.
On device‑level metering, Wilson cautioned that revenue‑grade meters are not available on many DER devices, making broad deployment technically and financially impractical now; staff instead recommended targeted pilots to test feasibility and accuracy. Staff recommended creating a PC 44 subgroup to evaluate metering and submetering technologies and to advise regulatory modernization.
Wilson said utilities are converging on IEEE 2030.5 as a communication protocol and urged layered cybersecurity architectures and statewide communication standards to protect DER communications. He closed by noting that staff supports phased, cost‑effective implementation with emphasis on interoperability, cybersecurity and equitable access.
Commissioners followed with questions about timelines and cost estimates; staff said it had not yet vetted detailed cost estimates and asked utilities to provide additional information.
