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Grid Intelligence & Flexibility Forum

Operationalizing DERMS, VPPs, Flexible Interconnection & Distribution Resilience

January 26-27, 2027 San Diego

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The distribution grid is entering a new operational era. At the end of 2025, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reported that approximately 8,200 projects were actively seeking U.S. grid interconnection, representing more than 1,300 GW of generation and nearly 750 GW of storage. As distributed resources, electrification and flexible loads place new demands on existing infrastructure, utilities must move beyond traditional planning approaches and operate the grid with greater intelligence, visibility, coordination and control.

The Grid Intelligence & Flexibility Forum examines how utilities and their partners are translating these capabilities into practical distribution-system operations. This focused, executive networking and educational program will explore DERMS deployment, virtual power plant integration, flexible interconnection, advanced forecasting and analytics, ADMS–DERMS coordination, grid-capacity optimization and the use of distributed flexibility to improve reliability, affordability and resilience.

Join us in San Diego to connect with the utility leaders, technology providers, and other market stakeholders shaping the next generation of distribution operations. Whether your organization is advancing DER integration, VPP deployment, flexible interconnection, grid intelligence or distribution resilience, the Forum provides an in-depth setting to share implementation lessons, explore emerging strategies, build partnerships and help define the operational future of the grid.

Key Themes:

DERMS as the Operational Backbone of the Grid Edge
Using DERMS to improve visibility, coordination, and control across increasingly complex distribution systems

Virtual Power Plants and Aggregated Flexibility
How VPPs are moving from pilot programs toward scalable operating models that can support reliability, capacity, and peak management

Flexible Interconnection and Hosting Capacity
Connecting more DERs and large flexible loads through dynamic limits, operational controls, and more adaptive interconnection models

Distribution Resilience and Grid-Aware Operations
Using advanced grid-edge tools to prepare for outages, extreme weather, rapid load growth, and changing system conditions

Forecasting, Visibility, and Real-Time Decision Support
How better data, analytics, and situational awareness can improve planning, dispatch, and day-to-day distribution operations

Utility Business Models and Regulatory Evolution
Evolving policy, market design, and utility revenue models as customers and third parties become active participants in grid operations

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Who Should Attend

The Grid Edge Operations & Flexibility Summit is designed for utility executives, grid operations leaders, technology innovators, regulators, and market participants working to modernize the distribution system and unlock flexibility at the grid edge.:

  • Electric utility executives and distribution operations leaders

  • DERMS, ADMS, VPP, and grid modernization teams

  • Distribution planning and engineering professionals

  • Interconnection, hosting capacity, and grid services specialists

  • Reliability, resilience, and emergency preparedness teams

  • Virtual power plant developers and DER aggregators

  • Solar, storage, EV charging, and flexible load providers

  • Advanced forecasting, analytics, and grid intelligence solution providers

  • Regulatory, policy, and market design professionals

  • Large energy users, campuses, data centers, and fleet operators exploring flexible load participation


Attendees will come away with a clearer understanding of how utilities are deploying grid-edge technologies, structuring flexibility programs, evaluating new interconnection models, and preparing the distribution system for higher levels of DER participation and load growth.

Join your executive colleagues in San Diego as we shape the next phase of grid-edge operations and flexibility

"Great diversity of companies and good speech topics. Nice variety"
Benjamin Spiro, Business Development, American Wire Group

Feedback on recent SGO Forums

"Excellent and informative"
 Jack McElligott, Emergency Fuel Management, Macro Logistics

"Great presentations and variety of topics covered - great mix of thought leaders"
Pat MGinnis, Chief Strategy Officer, Tweddle Group

"Outstanding – Exceeded my expectations!"
Russell Gentile, Senior eMobility Developer, ABM Industries

"Fantastic meeting of minds and knowledge-sharing.
Hosts were fantastic"
- Branden Zipplinger, Application Engineer, Sensience

"This has truly been an excellent experience in every way - well organized, well-rounded agenda, excellent speakers
and good exhibits."
Larisa Dobriansky, Chief Business & Policy Innovation Officer, General Microgrids

"Excellent venue to make new contacts doing interesting and innovative things in the industry."
Markus Virta, Cascadia Renewables

Contact Us

To reach out with questions, comments and requests for information, please use this form. We will respond asap!