The missing money for DERs: Analyzing the landscape of utility DER valuation in the US

Despite numerous whitepapers highlighting the theoretical value of distributed energy resources (DERs) to utilities, limited research has been conducted into the actual methodologies utilities employ and the valuations they produce in practice. This report addresses that research gap, analyzing which value streams utilities currently recognize, how this varies by utility and DER technology, and the limitations today in operationalizing and realizing the full suite of benefits. It offers benchmarking references for utilities and a value proposition framework for vendors in the DER space. Topics covered include regulatory landscape; value streams recognized by utilities; and case studies on best practices.