Meridian Technology Group is seeking a Distributed Energy Resource Analyst.


DER Analyst

Required Skills

Minimum of 5 years of experience in utility sector, energy policy, DER valuation, cost-effectiveness analysis, or related fields.

Top 3 Must-Haves (Hard and/or Soft Skills):

• 1. DER Modeling Experience: The worker must possess established experience in distributed energy resource (DER) modeling, including conducting cost-benefit analysis for DERs, with a focus on flexible loads and demand response (DR) programs.
• 2. Utility Sector Knowledge: Strong understanding of utility regulatory environments, utility business operations, and best practices in DER assessment methodologies are essential. This includes familiarity with utility regulatory constructs and associated public processes.
• 3. Analytical and Communication Skills: Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills are crucial for assessing cost-effectiveness inputs and methodologies, as well as enhancing DER value assessment practices. Additionally, the worker must have the ability to communicate complex concepts effectively to diverse stakeholders, both internally and externally, to facilitate collaboration and alignment on new methodologies and strategic implementation plans.

• 1. Experience in Energy Policy: Experience in energy policy, particularly related to distributed energy resources (DERs), would be beneficial. This includes familiarity with policy landscapes, regulatory frameworks, and emerging trends in the energy industry.
• 2. Advanced Degree in Relevant Field: While a bachelor's degree is required, an advanced degree (such as a master's or higher) in Engineering, Economics, Environmental Science, or a related field would be advantageous. Advanced education can provide deeper insights and expertise in DER valuation, cost-effectiveness analysis, and utility sector dynamics.
• 3. Project Management Skills: Strong project management skills would enhance the worker's ability to manage multiple initiatives, collaborate with stakeholders, and drive projects to successful completion. This includes skills in planning, organizing, and coordinating tasks, as well as managing timelines, resources, and budgets effectively within the context of DER planning and valuation projects.

• Utilities experience is required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Environmental Science, or related field (advanced degree preferred).

• Our Client has actively developed internal processes to design, test, and scale various Distributed Energy Resource (DER) product and program offerings for customers. Currently these offerings fall under the umbrella of Flexible Loads and amount to approximately 95 MW of nominated available capacity for load shift/shed and include typical peak load curtailment Demand Response (DR), more actively managed load shifting as in smart water heaters with CTA-2045 enabled controls, and emerging pilots like residential battery storage.  
• To-date, their efforts have been significantly centered on curating the customer experience and understanding adoption levers to scale the DR resource, as well as the various internal coordination steps to getting through to approval of IT, Marketing, and other business units necessary to launch and maintain successful customer programs. However, as the resource is growing and integrating more formally with the Power Operations activity, they seek to retain qualified consultant(s) to enhance the engineering and technical rigor applied to valuing this aggregate Flex Load resource.  
• The vision for this role is therefore to help the Distributed Resource Planning (DRP) team in introducing and managing new processes related cost-effectiveness valuation activity. The company has previously explored avenues to refine and enhance its current cost-effectiveness methodologies but has not fully executed on implementation of these identified improvements.

• The Distributed Energy Resources (DER) team comprises 10 members led by a Senior Manager overseeing three Project Managers and six analysts. Among these analysts, three specialize in DER forecasting through modeling, providing vital planning inputs for various company divisions such as product development and distribution system planning teams. Our team primarily utilizes Microsoft 365 tools for collaboration and communication, along with Python-based tools for modeling purposes. Specifically, the DER consultant will leverage Excel for enhancing Cost Effectiveness evaluations and utilize Word and PowerPoint for crafting a measure development playbook to aid product development throughout its lifecycle. The remaining three team members focus on supporting equity lens assessments, mapping exercises, and financial analyses.  
• “A day in the life” of this role: As a Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Consultant, your days will be dynamic and impactful. Your primary focus will be enhancing the engineering and technical rigor applied to valuing the aggregate Flex Load resource within the Distributed Resource Planning (DRP) team. You will contribute to refining and implementing cost-effectiveness methodologies, utilizing your expertise in DER modeling and conducting thorough cost-benefit analyses. Collaborating closely with internal and external stakeholders, you'll assess and adjust the cost-effectiveness model, incorporating qualitative costs and benefits across various dimensions such as consumer, societal, environmental, grid services, and system reliability.  
• Your responsibilities will include assessing current cost-effectiveness inputs and methodologies, aligning them with industry best practices and regulatory requirements. This may involve developing new features for benefits tests and revising the cost-effectiveness model to quantify the impacts of different DER measures and programs. Additionally, you'll play a key role in enhancing the evaluation of DER values, providing training on new methodologies, and developing strategic implementation plans. Your strong analytical skills, combined with effective communication and problem-solving abilities, will be instrumental in delivering high-quality results within the project timeline and budget constraints.  
• The team members and hiring manager would likely have frequent and substantive interactions with this role. Given the complexity and importance of the tasks outlined, collaboration among team members and with the hiring manager would be essential for success. The role involves working closely with the Distributed Resource Planning (DRP) team, internal stakeholders, and potentially external partners to assess, refine, and implement methodologies related to distributed energy resource (DER) valuation and cost-effectiveness analysis. This collaboration would require regular communication to ensure alignment on objectives, methodologies, and outcomes. Additionally, the hiring manager would likely provide guidance, feedback, and support to ensure that the role effectively contributes to achieving strategic goals in the DER space. Overall, the interaction level with this role would be intensive and collaborative, reflecting the cross-functional nature of the initiatives and the importance of successful implementation for the business objectives.   
• The top priority for the worker over the first few weeks/months: In the initial weeks and months, the top priority for the worker would be to immerse themselves in understanding the current processes and methodologies related to distributed energy resources (DERs), particularly focusing on cost-effectiveness analysis and valuation. This entails assessing te existing cost-effectiveness inputs and methodologies, as well as familiarizing themselves with industry standards and regulatory environments. They would need to collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to gain insights into ongoing projects and initiatives, while also working to refine and enhance the current cost-benefit analysis framework and modeling tools specific to DERs.  
• Overall, the worker's primary focus would be on building a strong foundation of knowledge and expertise to effectively contribute to the team's objectives in the evolving landscape of distributed energy resources.  
• The biggest challenge in this role: The biggest challenge in this role is likely to be the need to balance multiple priorities and stakeholders' expectations effectively. Given the complex nature of distributed energy resources (DERs) and the evolving regulatory landscape, the worker must navigate various internal and external factors while enhancing the engineering and technical rigor applied to planning and valuing the Flex Load resource. This involves conducting thorough assessments of the current cost-effectiveness inputs and methodologies, as well as revising and applying the cost-effectiveness model to quantify the impacts of various DER measures, programs, and portfolios. Additionally, the worker will need to collaborate closely with stakeholders to ensure alignment and consensus on new methodologies, while also managing training, feedback, and strategic implementation plans to integrate these methodologies into the decision-making processes effectively. Striking the right balance between technical rigor, stakeholder engagement, and strategic alignment will be crucial for success in this role.

Please apply with your resume now or
contact us for more details:
Meridian Technology Group Recruiting Team
(503)697-1600 in Oregon
(800)755-1038 outside Oregon
www.meridiangroup.com
jobs.meridiangroup.com

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