National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s dGen is an open-source software that simulates customer adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) through 2050. dGen is used by government and grid planning organizations to predict future energy systems at high spatial resolution and under diverse scenarios. It is an engine for equitably and cost-effectively integrating more DERs.

The opensource dGen software accelerates clean energy deployment by helping grid planners know where, when and how much will be adopted. For public services like governments, utilities and grid operators, growth in DERs is prompting important decisions around system planning: If they overbuild, the energy system is excessive and expensive, if they under-build, it could mean blackouts.

By NREL’s estimates, utilities misforecasting distributed solar PV alone could cost utility ratepayers up to $400,000/TWh. To provide the most reliable data, dGen creates high-spatial-resolution forecasts of DER adoption through 2050. dGen has published forecasts for landmark clean-energy efforts in major U.S. cities, informed equitable policies for low-income communities and is currently used by all major U.S. transmission system operators.