2026 Advanced Energy Communities Symposium - Microgrid & DER Network Barriers and Opportunities

Описание: This is the Microgrid & DER Network Barriers and Opportunities – Technology, Policy, and Regulation session from the 2026 Advanced Energy Communities Symposium which took place on February 19, 2026 in Oakland, California.

This interactive symposium was designed specifically for community and local government leaders, policymakers, and energy and climate program implementers.

A consortium of community choice aggregators, nonprofit and private sector solution providers, municipalities, and universities has implemented Advanced Energy Community (AEC) pilot projects in four communities — Richmond, Lancaster, Oakland, and Los Angeles County. The integrated AEC approach has advanced local climate protection, economic and job growth, and public health with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

This event was a forum for stakeholders to explore promising program designs and scaling strategies as these pilots near completion. Attendees assessed project outcomes, consider policy recommendations, and inform a policy and program roadmap to advance California’s resilience, equity, affordability, and climate goals.

In the morning, Advanced Energy Community project leads shared learnings from AEC pilot projects funded by the California Energy Commission. In the afternoon, participants engaged in a strategic dialogue about how the AEC models can accelerate community-led clean energy and decarbonization initiatives to enhance local resiliency, equity, and affordability. The session highlighted distributed energy resource deployment and aggregation strategies, including virtual power plants, community microgrids, and innovative community engagement.

The symposium was hosted by The Climate Center, Zero Net Energy Alliance, Community Energy & Equity Resources, MCE, The Energy Coalition, and the California Institute for Energy and Environment at UC Berkeley, with support from the California Energy Commission.