A New Approach to Orchestrating the Distribution Grid

The distribution grid is being pushed beyond what it was originally designed to handle.

Utilities are facing more frequent and severe weather patterns – temperature extremes, wildfires, floods, and even the occasional dust storm – all causing unprecedented disruptions. At the same time, the rapid growth of renewables is introducing greater variability, making it harder than ever to accurately predict supply just as consumer expectations reach new heights. Customers now settle for nothing short of reliable and resilient electricity, 24/7. Meanwhile, operators are burning out, driven by alarm fatigue and mounting system complexity, while disparate point solutions and communication breakdowns create dangerous misalignments between the control room and field.

And layered on top of all this, soaring demand like never before from data centers, AI-powered technologies, and other industrial customers, with loads that require massive amounts of power, delivered quickly and reliably.

While many utilities are managing to survive these challenges, few are thriving. The root cause? Utilities are stuck operating with fragmented systems and isolated point-type solutions that simply weren't built for today's complex grid realities. These disconnected tools create data siloes and force reliance on manual workflows that buckle under mounting pressure.

The consequences ripple across every aspect of grid operations. Transmission and distribution can no longer operate independently. Multidirectional power flows require tighter coordination, shared visibility, and real-time communication. The same integration imperative applies to IT and OT, whose responsibilities overlap more than ever before . OT depends on IT for automation, analytics, and scalability, while IT depends on OT for real-time operational data, asset visibility, and control of physical infrastructure. And when it comes to outage recovery, the growing number of varied assets, participants, and organizations involved makes manual coordination increasingly impractical.

The bottom line? Utilities can certainly manage their grids day-to-day, but without operating as one single, integrated, coordinated system, achieving a truly reliable, resilient, and intelligent grid remains an uphill battle.

That’s why this moment represents a natural next step in the grid orchestration journey. From the beginning, GridOS was built on a clear promise: to deliver an interoperable, modular, and integrated platform capable of evolving alongside the grid. Over time, utilities have been adopting these capabilities, incrementally advancing orchestration across the distribution system.

GridOS for Distribution marks the next milestone in fulfilling that promise. It brings these capabilities together into a unified, structured approach that helps utilities progress toward grid orchestration with clarity and confidence, while still accommodating each utility’s unique priorities and pace. Rather than prescribing a rigid modernization path, GridOS for Distribution builds on existing investments and provides a streamlined way to move from fragmented operations to a truly intelligent grid.

That’s the logic behind today’s announcement . We are excited to announce GridOS for Distribution, a unified approach to distribution grid orchestration that brings together planning, operations, DER management, field execution, and data into one coordinated system.

The easiest way to think of this approach is as a three-level framework, not a "bulk buy.” Here are the three levels that form the framework:

For the first level, distribution utilities committed to grid orchestration are outfitted with the core competencies and capabilities that offer visibility, control, and safety. Six GridOS products come together in Level 1 to establish the foundational capabilities required for reliable and resilient grid orchestration.

The outcome of Level 1 is to set the stage for the advanced grid orchestration use cases of the subsequent levels. This firm foundation ensures utilities have what they need to enable grid orchestration today while supporting their modernization efforts well into the future.

With the foundational capabilities of Level 1 in place, utilities can then pursue greater operational efficiency in Level 2. This stage introduces more advanced capabilities that optimize performance and streamline operations. Core capabilities include:

It’s here in Level 2 that utilities can begin to tailor their distribution orchestration journeys. Rather than following a rigid, prescriptive sequence that may not be right for them, utilities are free to choose how to advance their orchestration journeys. They can take into account their organizational priorities, consumer profiles, regional needs, and other variables in charting their path to orchestration, with the flexibility to move at their own pace.

Level 3 represents an advanced stage in the GridOS for Distribution approach to grid orchestration. With foundational and optimized capabilities in place, utilities can begin to unlock intelligent, adaptive operations through greater use of automation, analytics, and AI.

Intelligence is the outcome, not a fixed endpoint. It continues to evolve as data, technology, data, and operational maturity advance.

Level 3 introduces a comprehensive suite of distribution solutions, including automation, AI, and machine learning. Capabilities that round out GridOS for Distribution include:

It’s important to remember that GridOS for Distribution is more than a collection of tools. It is one single, unified, comprehensive solution that enables orchestrated intelligence across distribution planning and operations. Through this journey, distribution utilities can:

While this announcement focuses on distribution, grid orchestration extends across the entire electric network. The same principles of interoperability, modularity, and coordinated operations apply to transmission as well, and we are already advancing a complementary framework to bring orchestrated intelligence to transmission operations. Stay tuned.

The outcome is a truly intelligent grid – one that is more reliable, more resilient, and ready for the future. With that intelligent grid, utilities can act as one single, fully connected organization bringing reliable and resilient power to all. To learn more about GridOS for Distribution and today’s announcement, read the full press release.