Chaos, Meet the DER Playbook
From Energy Changemakers Podcast by Energy Changemakers
April 28, 2026 · 34 min · Season 1 · Episode 47
About this episode
This episode discusses the Pew Charitable Trusts' policy playbook for scaling distributed energy resources in the U.S. with insights from industry experts.
The Pew Charitable Trusts has released a long-awaited policy playbook for scaling distributed energy resources (DERs) across the United States. In this episode, host Elisa Wood sits down with the two co-chairs of the Pew DER Advisory Council — Audrey Zibelman and Pat Wood III — to unpack what the playbook says, why DER deployment has stalled despite a clear business case, and what policymakers can do right now to change the trajectory. The conversation moves from high-level regulatory philosophy to the practical mechanics of utility incentive design, FERC jurisdiction, virtual power plants, and the pros and cons of America's 50-state laboratory approach to energy regulation. Both guests bring decades of first-hand experience reshaping the grid — Zibelman from New York's REV framework and Australia's national DER strategy, Wood from opening the Texas and wholesale power markets.
People in this episode
Host: Elisa Wood
Guests: Audrey Zibelman, Pat Wood III
Topics covered
- distributed energy resources
- energy policy
- utility regulation
- grid modernization
- energy markets
Keywords
- DER playbook
- energy resources
- policy
- utility incentives
- FERC
- virtual power plants
- energy regulation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Pew Charitable Trusts, New York's REV framework, Australia's national DER strategy, Texas, FERC
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