Distributed energy resources (DERs) have become a defining force in the global energy ecosystem. The Asia-Pacific region is leading the way, adding a record 421.5 gigawatts in 2024. Europe followed with 70 GW and North America added 45.9 GW. This momentum is trending globally with renewable capacity projected to reach 7,300 GW by 2028. 

DERs are essential to a decentralized energy future. But as adoption accelerates, so does the need for utilities to manage and coordinate these assets in real time. That’s where distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) like Itron’s IntelliFLEX solution play a critical role, enabling real-time visibility, control and optimization at scale. 

With IntelliFLEX, Itron supports seamless DER integration—and we believe this leadership is reflected in the 2025 Gartner® Market Snapshot and Market Guide for DERMS, where we’re recognized as a Representative Vendor. 

Turning DERs into Grid Assets with DERMS 

According to the 2025 Gartner Market Snapshot and Market Guide for DERMS, “rapid growth of distributed energy resource management systems is forcing utilities to modernize to retain customers and meet regulatory demands.” 

A few key findings from the report include:  

• “Distributed energy resource (DER) adoption is accelerating due to electrification trends (e.g., EVs, rooftop solar), falling technology costs and supportive energy policies—reshaping utility planning and operations.” 
• “Utilities are scaling beyond single-use distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) pilots (e.g., voltage optimization) to complex orchestration models like virtual power plants (VPPs) and microgrids. However, regulatory inertia limits value realization.”  
• “No vendor supports all DERMS use cases, requiring utilities to manage multiple solutions and integrations. Vendor consolidation and strategic partnerships are expected as the market matures.”  
• “Integration challenges persist due to siloed, vendor-centric systems and inconsistent data from customer-owned assets, limiting grid visibility and operational efficiency, and posing cyberphysical security (CPS) challenges.” 

While DERs deliver value on their own, their impact grows exponentially when aggregated and managed through a DERMS. With the IntelliFLEX solution, utilities gain seamless DER coordination through AI-powered forecasting, real-time grid telemetry and distributed intelligence. This leads to improved grid reliability, smarter economic dispatch and progress toward decarbonization efforts while reducing peak loads by up to 30% through standards-based integrations.  

IntelliFLEX supports utilities in three key ways: 

• Real-Time Visibility & Distributed Intelligence: Enhanced DER coordination and granular grid awareness enable faster, localized decision-making, improved outage response and dynamic grid operations.  
• Targeted Load Forecasting & DER Coordination: AI-driven forecasting strengthens bi-directional AMI-to-grid Operations data flows, improving DER integration, load balancing, demand flexibility and regulatory compliance. 
• Asset Protection & Peak Load Management: By optimizing grid utilization, IntelliFLEX helps reduce infrastructure strain, defer costly upgrades and maintain system reliability under increasing demand. 

A complimentary copy of this Gartner report can be accessed here. To learn how IntelliFLEX empowers utilities to manage and optimize DERs at scale, explore the solution page here.