Please mark your calendars for our upcoming virtual workshop on Leveraging Behind-the-Meter Systems for Enhanced Demand Response taking place on Thursday, June 12 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET.Description:As the energy landscape becomes more decentralized and dynamic, utilities are increasingly turning to demand response (DR) programs to manage peak loads, ensure grid reliability, and support renewable integration. The proliferation of smart meters and behind-the-meter (BTM) technologies—including distributed energy resources (DERs), energy storage, and demand-side management tools—offers utilities powerful new mechanisms for enhancing system flexibility and customer engagement.Smart meters enable real-time data collection and analysis, allowing for more accurate forecasting, outage detection, and tailored DR strategies. Meanwhile, BTM systems empower customers to actively control their energy consumption and generation, presenting utilities with new opportunities for collaborative grid management. However, integrating these technologies effectively requires overcoming challenges such as interoperability, data security, customer participation, and alignment with regulatory frameworks and evolving rate structures.This workshop will bring together utility professionals from Canada and the USA to examine how smart meters and BTM systems can be incorporated into next-generation DR programs. Presenters will highlight how they are measuring return on investment (ROI) to assess the effectiveness and value of their initiatives, providing practical benchmarks for other utilities. In addition, each presentation will include a concise set of 3–5 key recommendations or lessons learned, aimed at supporting actionable insights and guiding peer utilities in the implementation or refinement of similar strategies.Presenters:Hydro One Networks: Giselle De GrandisHydro Quebec: Pier Luc DubéIdaho Power: Quentin Nesbitt and Chellie JensenSalt River Project: Laura Olson and Maria Mahar

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming webinar Powering Through Hurricane Helene: Utility Response & Resilience, scheduled June 18th from 12:00 to 1:30 pm ET. Hurricane Helene delivered a powerful test to the transmission and distribution (T&D) systems across the Southeastern United States, pushing utility resilience and coordination to the limit. In this session, hear firsthand from Duke Energy and Southern Company as they recount their on-the-ground experiences responding to the storm.Discover how both utilities prepared their grids ahead of the hurricane, the innovative strategies used to mitigate damage, and the rapid response efforts that restored power in the aftermath. From system hardening to coordinated restoration logistics, this session will dive into the real-world challenges and successes that defined their approach.Presenter(s): Jason Hollifield and Tyler Johnson, Duke Energy, Heather Lunsford, Southern Company

Please mark your calendars for the Security for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and Adjacent Systems webinar on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM ET.Event Overview: Distributed energy resources (DERs) offer significant value for incorporating diverse generation technologies and improving reliability. They also present a new set of cybersecurity challenges. The move of generation to the grid edge can also mean more distributed control systems and expanded communication networks, resulting in an increase in attack surface. This presentation will discuss definitions and essential terms related to DERs; developments and deployment trends for DERs; recent cyber attacks on operational technology and industrial systems; cyber risk arising from distributed grid resources; and ways in which standards may help mitigate some of these risks.Presenter: Danish Saleem, NREL 

The registration for the Advanced Distribution Operations In-Person General Meeting on November 10th, 2025 is now open! Please register for the meeting through the "Register Now" button on this page.