It has been nine months since Greentech Media coined the term "grid edge," launched a free 70-page report on the topic, and formed the Grid Edge Executive Council.
The council is now at more than 100 members from 60 companies and comprises a unique group of thought leaders that represent every aspect of the grid edge landscape. Utilities make up 20 percent of the council, with representation from various markets across the United States, Europe and Australia.
FIGURE: Grid Edge Executive Council Members
The council's first meeting, DG Integration and the Future of the Grid, focused on the challenges and opportunities with integrating higher penetration and distributed generation, not just solar, into the grid.
In March, we brought the council together in Boston for a session on microgrids. Topics included microgrid market dynamics, technologies, deployments, and future opportunities, with members sharing their experiences in assessing and participating in the market today. To close out the meeting, the council identified five game-changers for microgrid market acceleration.
Kicking off the summer with our flagship council meeting before the Grid Edge Live conference in San Diego, council members met for an interactive afternoon discussing the market evolution of the grid edge. We identified the market's key disruptors; technological, regulatory, and financial barriers; and the impact these factors would have on the electricity market.
The council meets eight times per year for four in-person meetings and four web meetings.
To foster collaboration and ongoing communication, the council stays in touch between in-person gatherings via web meetings. The council convened online in February for a business-oriented web meeting on the topic of cybersecurity, and again in May for a data-driven web meeting on the state and future of U.S. distributed solar.
The council will next meet in person on Tuesday, September 9 prior to Soft Grid 2014 on the topic of grid edge analytics, and again in December prior to Solar Market Insight 2014 for what is sure to be an animated meeting on next-generation business models and the utility of the future.
GTM Research is the backbone of the council, driving much of the content and discussions. Members have exclusive access to the grid analysts and their reports. Recent publications include Distributed Energy 2014, Advanced Grid Power Electronics for High Penetration PV Integration, and North American Microgrids 2014.
Council members should be on the lookout for reports on distributed energy resource management systems and the demand response market later this summer.
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Allison Junkins is the program manager for GTM Research's Grid Edge Executive Council. She is the primary coordinator for council events and meetings and the bridge between the GTM Research analyst team and council members.
To learn more about the Grid Edge Executive Council, download the brochure here or contact Tate Ishimuro at ishimuro@greentechmedia.com