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Fri, Oct 6

The Human Side of DER Deployment, Operation, and Management: DER with Justice in Mind

The technical issues associated with deployment, operation, and management of DERs are immense. Still, there is strong evidence that coordinated and optimized deployment of DERs can saving hundreds of billions of dollars in system-wide costs as we transition to a zero-fossil economy. "Doing DERs right" is an economic, financial, operational, and engineering challenge. It is also a human challenge. DER deployment, operation, and management must be undertaken with the principles of energy justice in mind. The pillars of energy justice are structural justice (and remediating structural injustices that exist today), recognition justice, procedural justice, and distribution justice. These concepts can be applied to DER development and even rates. But first, regulators, utilities, and other stakeholders must open their minds and processes to the idea of a just transition to a higher-DER future. This paper discusses how energy justice principles can be applied to DER-related activities of all kinds, and offer suggestions for regulators and utilities in ensuring that energy justice is not overlooked as DER-related work is undertaken.