The rise of permissionless DERs

"Permissionless" or "plug-in" distributed energy resources (DERs) represent a shift toward affordable, easily deployable energy solutions that bypass traditional, complex interconnection requirements. By utilizing standard 120-volt or 240-volt outlets, these small-scale battery and solar systems eliminate significant soft costs—such as permitting, labor, and customer acquisition—that typically burden residential and commercial installations. James McGinniss, CEO of David Energy, highlights how this model prioritizes cost savings over the premium-priced resiliency focus of the last decade. Germany’s rapid adoption of over one gigawatt of balcony solar in just four years serves as a proof-of-concept for this bottom-up, economically driven market. As these technologies scale, they offer a viable path to aggregate capacity for grid support, potentially addressing capacity shortfalls through tens of gigawatts of decentralized, plug-and-play assets.