We had a great time at DISTRIBUTECH and its adjacent events, the PLMA DER Symposium and SECC Annual Consumer Symposium. With over 18,100 professionals in attendance at DISTRIBUTECH, industry leaders, innovators, and utility professionals from around the world came together to discuss the future of energy. Grid resiliency and predictability were top of mind, underscoring the industry’s commitment to building a more robust and adaptive energy ecosystem.
PLMA DER Symposium: Transforming DERs into Reliable Load
At the PLMA DER Symposium, we had the privilege of sharing Puget Sound Energy (PSE)’s VPP journey with our partner during the panel, Transforming DERs into Reliable Load: Puget Sound Energy’s VPP Journey. This session highlighted how PSE leverages Uplight’s Flex platform to manage demand response (DR) and distributed energy resources (DERs) effectively. Since partnering in 2021, PSE has successfully dispatched enough capacity to counter system peaks during extreme weather events.
What made this case study particularly compelling was PSE’s comprehensive approach—combining commercial and industrial demand response with residential engagement through a rewards program. This holistic strategy has enabled PSE to shift load, improve grid reliability, and accelerate decarbonization efforts. Looking ahead, PSE plans to expand their VPP to reach an impressive 86 MW by the end of 2025, incorporating electric vehicles, battery storage, and other assets into their growing portfolio.
SECC Annual Consumer Symposium: Shaping the Future Through Consumer Action
The SECC Consumer Symposium provided a valuable platform to discuss how consumer actions will drive decarbonization and the transition to a smarter energy future. Uplight participated in the closing panel, Shaping the Future: Consumers and the Energy Movement with partners from GridX, CLEAResult, Consumers Energy, and Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, sharing our insights on how integrating energy efficiency, rates, and demand management through a Demand Stack can enable reliable supply while activating customers in the energy transition.
DISTRIBUTECH: Scaling Customer Engagement for the Clean Energy Future
At DISTRIBUTECH, we exhibited alongside Schneider Electric, discussing how grid solutions like integrated distributed energy management systems (DERMS), virtual power plants (VPPs), and rates play a crucial role in the clean energy transition.
We also participated in the session Scaling Customer Engagement for the Clean Energy Future alongside Amazon Web Services and Duke Energy. We explored how utilities can leverage cloud-based technologies to deliver exceptional customer experiences that drive participation in clean energy programs. As utilities set more ambitious decarbonization and load flexibility goals, engaging and activating customers at scale becomes increasingly critical.
We discussed strategies for personalizing offers and messaging, meeting customers through their preferred channels, streamlining participation processes, and enhancing interoperability with industry partners. The session emphasized that by implementing these advanced engagement techniques, utilities can effectively scale their customer interactions to meet ambitious clean energy goals while delivering the modern experience that today’s customers expect.
Keep Catching Us Around the Industry in 2025!
We truly enjoyed collaborating with partners and industry peers at these events. The insights gained will continue to inform our approach to creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future.
Wondering where the Uplight team will be at upcoming industry events throughout 2025? Check out where we’ll be next and set up a 1:1 meeting with us. We look forward to continuing these important conversations!
