EPRI: Electric Power Research Institute

Distributed Energy Resource Value Estimation Tool (DER-VET™)



DER-VET™

DER-VET™ provides a free, publicly accessible, open-source platform for calculating, understanding, and optimizing the value of distributed energy resources (DER) based on their technical merits and constraints. An extension of EPRI's StorageVET® tool, DER-VET supports site-specific assessments of energy storage and additional DER technologies—including solar, wind, demand response, electric vehicle charging, internal combustion engines, and combined heat and power—in different configurations, such as microgrids. It uses load and other data to determine optimal size, duration, and other characteristics for maximizing benefits based on site conditions and the value that can be extracted from targeted use cases. Customers, developers, utilities, and regulators across the industry can apply this tool to inform project-level decisions based on sound technical understanding and unbiased cost-performance data.

DER-VET was developed with funding from the California Energy Commission. EPRI plans to support continuing updates and enhancements.

Note: for more information about StorageVET®, please scroll down to the bottom of this page.


DER-VET™ Resources


EPRI's StorageWiki

  • StorageWiki is a wiki-style hub for energy storage research at EPRI and hosts dynamic and interactive content to supplement the breadth of EPRI's published content.
  • The DER-VET User Guide is hosted on StorageWiki
  • StorageWiki contains a collection of Energy Storage Analysis Case Studies

Project Goals

  • Provide a consistent platform for communication of site-specific DER value between stakeholders of utilities, regulators, and vendors
  • Provide a publicly available tool and method to fairly, transparently, and consistently estimate the benefits and costs of DER or microgrid project economics and operations across all cases
    • Grid Services
    • Technologies and Sizes
    • Locations

Support for a Wide Range of Decision Makers

  • State Commissions & Regulators
    • Reliability
    • Critcal infrastructure resiliency improvement
    • Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) mitigation
    • Supports microgrids—including disadvantaged communities


  • Utility System Planners
    • Grid reliability
    • Non-wires alternatives
    • Utility microgrid-as-a-service for premium customers or during PSPS events


  • Individual Customers, Community of Customers, and 3rd-Party Implementers
    • Reliability
    • Resiliency
    • Demand charge reduction
    • Retail energy arbitrage
    • Demand response

Feature Highlights

  • Broad coverage of energy storage technologies and other reference technologies (e.g. combustion turbine)
  • Flexible optimization horizon
  • Flexible simulation time step granularity
  • Utilizes the Gurobi optimization engine
  • Web-based user interface and free public access

Get Involved

  • Stakeholders can participate in input and review of model definitions through participation in the Energy Storage Integration Council (ESIC), an open technical forum. More info can be found at www.epri.com/esic.
  • ESIC Working Group 1 DER-VET™ Task Force Meeting Recordings can be found at www.der-vet.com/esictf

StorageVET®

  • StorageVET® is a publicly available, open-source, Python-based energy storage project valuation tool developed by EPRI.
  • Download StorageVET® 2.1 and get more information at www.storagevet.com