Building scalable DERMS solutions for DER aggregators on AWS

This article explains how AWS services enable DER aggregators to build scalable Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) for managing thousands of distributed energy assets.

• AWS IoT Greengrass bridges legacy protocols (Modbus, DNP3, IEC-61850) to cloud-compatible formats
• AWS IoT Core and Device Management handle millions of concurrent device connections and asset organization
• AWS IoT Device Shadow maintains reliable control despite intermittent network connectivity
• Amazon Kinesis and Apache Kafka provide real-time data streaming for diverse timing requirements
• Amazon Timestream and OpenSearch enable millisecond-level hot storage for grid stability operations
• Amazon S3 and Lake Formation provide cost-effective cold storage for historical compliance data
• Apache Flink and Lambda handle real-time analytics for frequency response and market bidding
• Amazon SageMaker enables forecasting, equipment monitoring, and market behavior analysis
• Comprehensive security via AWS KMS, IAM, GuardDuty, and CloudTrail meets NERC CIP and IEC 62351 standards

AWS provides a modular, scalable architecture allowing aggregators to manage DER fleets from hundreds to millions of assets while supporting real-time grid operations and regulatory compliance.