Concept 4
Hosting Capacity
Hosting capacity is the planning lens: how much more solar a feeder can accept before voltage and equipment limits become unacceptable.
What Limits Hosting Capacity
Voltage
ANSI compliance is often the first binding constraint as PV export grows.
Feeder Impedance
Higher impedance means the same solar export creates a larger voltage rise.
PV Location
Solar near feeder ends usually stresses the system more than solar near the substation.
Why DERMS Helps
- 1Volt-VAR adds hosting headroom without throwing away active energy immediately.
- 2Optimization keeps the feeder inside limits using targeted, minimal intervention.
- 3Storage can absorb excess midday energy and shift it into later demand windows.
Hosting Capacity Comparison
Baseline Feeder
Approximate visual benchmark
1.0x
Solar starts pushing the feeder out of bounds at relatively modest penetration because no active control is available.
DERMS-Enabled Feeder
Illustrative optimized case
1.5x
Coordinated inverter behavior allows substantially more solar before grid upgrades become mandatory.
Planning Takeaway
DERMS changes the interconnection conversation from “how soon do we rebuild?” to “how much flexibility do we already have?”
Economics at a Glance
$
Conductor Upgrades
Often the most expensive option, especially when long feeder sections must be rebuilt.
$
Transformer Upgrades
Necessary in some cases, but capital-intensive and slow to deploy at scale.
$
DERMS Software
Usually cheaper and faster to deploy when smart inverter capability already exists.
What to Do Next
Full Learning Loop Complete
You now have the conceptual model: problem signal, PV cause, DERMS response, and system-wide value. The next useful step is direct exploration of the charts.