DER Impact Studies

The problem

DERs Change the Direction of the Question

Distributed PV, behind-the-fence generation, and customer-sited storage don't just reduce load. On the right afternoon they push power backward through the feeder, lift voltage, and consume hosting capacity that future connections need. The question is no longer "how much load" but "which direction, when, and how close to the limit."

Coherent DER scenarios

Adoption, Location, and Weather Together

DER adoption is allocated to feeders through the same GIS, customer, and land-use relationships as demand, and DER output is generated on the same weather scenario. A sunny, mild weekend produces low load and high PV on the same feeder in the same hour — because that is when reverse flow happens.

Impacts

What the Study Quantifies

• Net load and its reshaped daily and seasonal profile
• Reverse power flow — magnitude, frequency, and the assets exposed to it
• Voltage rise and thermal loading under high-DER hours
• Remaining hosting capacity per feeder and substation

Decisions

From Impact to Action

Results feed directly into the distribution assessment: which feeders approach hosting limits first, which reinforcements DER growth brings forward, and which it defers. Every result traces back to the adoption scenario and weather draw that produced it.