To help facilitate the full inclusion of DERs in the electricity grid, PNNL researchers propose a multipronged approach for unit commitment formulations. This approach includes:

• Investigating the impact of DER aggregation level and unit commitment formulation on market outcomes
• Modeling DER response to the system operator’s dispatch and pricing signals
• Assessing the suitability of different control and coordination mechanisms by distributed system operators
• Analyzing DER aggregation methodologies and the potential need for new participation criteria as DER integration increases over time
• Exploring participation rules for DERs to ensure just and reasonable compensation given unique characteristics such as the aggregation of diverse technologies over a wide geographic footprint
• Investigating possible changes to bidding requirements, bidding formats, and market dispatch processes to ensure greater accuracy of DER responses.