Empowering Cooperative Utilities through Distribution Automation for a Resilient Energy Future

Distribution automation (DA) is crucial for cooperatives to enhance the reliability, efficiency and cost effectiveness of their power distribution networks. However, they face challenges in implementing the DA due to limited financial resources to invest in advanced technologies and complexity in integrating them into existing infrastructure. Broadband initiatives supported by infrastructure law, a better AMI coverage than IOUs, interoperability standards such as Multipeak, and advancements in low-cost sensing, control, and computation technologies are paving the ways for co-ops to adopt DA to provide improved services and better manage their resources in the evolving energy landscape. This panel will highlight the significance of DA in empowering cooperatives, how cooperatives are building on AMIs and OMS to adopt DA, challenges and opportunities, and implementation strategies of DA in cooperative utility space for a resilient energy future.