Adopting a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) is often mired with complexity. When is the right time to invest—and which DERMS solution (or group of solutions) should you choose? What are the risks if you move too early and lock in with a vendor whose platform is limited or incompatible with other vendors you’ve already contracted for assets or services? What if you wait too long, and customers lose out on reliability and cost savings?

The good news is that adopting a DERMS is not necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition. Utilities and grid operators can choose their own starting point and scale up over time as business objectives crystallize and markets further evolve to accommodate greater uptake of distributed energy resources (DERs) and renewable energy resources.

Whether you’ve deployed a DERMS solution in the past, or are considering a rollout for the first time, here are some critical factors to consider in order to capitalize on the latest technology and business model options.