Executive Summary: July 8th AEG DMV Stakeholder Challenge: Grid Optimization

Overview

Held on July 8th, 2025 at The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington DC, fifty public and private industry leaders convened for the AEG DMV Stakeholder Challenge: Grid Optimization. The purpose of this challenge was to: 1.) Agree on a critical obstacle preventing achievement of the DMV’s climate, health and energy goals;  2.) Align on a 90-day sprint and 12-month objective to best address this obstacle; and 3.) Enable stakeholders to create a volunteer Task Force accountable for delivering the agreed solution.

Mansi Talwar, Executive Director Engineering Utilities & Energy, GWU, Ted Trabue, Commissioner, Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, and Odogwu Obi Linton, Commissioner, Maryland Public Service Commission, provided opening remarks to frame the discussion surrounding grid optimization for the DMV. During Commissioner Obi Linton’s remarks, he called for breaking down silos and accelerating coordination across stakeholders to turn innovative grid solutions into executable, system-level plans.

Opening Remarks were followed by the Speaker Challenge, where each speaker provided an 8 minute and 5 slide presentation that concluded with this completed statement: "Regarding Grid Optimization, to achieve DMV's climate, health & energy goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is …”

Josh Lasky (George Washington University) underscored the need for building owners to have practical tools for decarbonization planning to align with grid modernization efforts. Anirudh Paduru (Exelon) highlighted that the clean energy transition hinges on making DERs affordable and accessible, especially post-incentive, with new value models and equitable adoption strategies.Susan Call (DoD) emphasized the need for regional planning cohesion and public-private partnerships to ensure grid resilience for military operations and surrounding communities. Guy Warner (Pareto Energy) proposed a new utility model where microgrids are managed as common-pool resources by communities, enabling faster interconnection, local ownership, and decentralized optimization. 

Inspired by the statement provided by Anirudh Paduru (Exelon), participants agreed to prioritize the following obstacle: 

"Regarding Grid Optimization, to achieve DMV's climate, health & energy goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is an actionable DER value proposition for customers in a post-incentive world and aligning to make DERs affordable, equitable, and accessible to all.”

Participants designed, presented, and selected a 90-day sprint and 12-month objective to overcome the above critical obstacle. 8 leaders came together to form a Task Force to complete the above 90-day sprint and 12-month objective.

Task Force Volunteers: Chris De Weaver, ELM, Anirudh Paduru, Exelon, Damel Goddard, Exelon/BGE, Jonathan Stewart, Hitachi Energy, Andrea Garcia-Fernandez, The JPI Group, Elise Logan, The Cadmus Group,, Johnny Grogan, Runwise, Saiyam Shah, GWU

5 Key Themes 

1. Coordinate Regional Planning Across Jurisdictions

Effective grid optimization in the DMV requires tighter alignment among federal, state, local, and utility actors. Without cohesive planning, projects stall and resilience suffers—particularly for critical infrastructure.

“Achieving cohesion in regional grid planning to ensure resilience for DoD missions and surrounding communities.” – Susan Call, DoD

2. Redefine the Value of DERs in a Post-Incentive Era

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) must be seen not just as tools but as essential pillars of a resilient, equitable grid. New compensation models and access programs are needed to ensure DER adoption doesn’t stall amid rising costs and fading incentives.

“Redefining value of DERs for customers in a post-incentive world and aligning to make DERs affordable, equitable, and accessible to all.” – Anirudh Paduru, Exelon

3. Provide Tools for Building Electrification and Decarbonization

Owners of institutional and commercial buildings need tailored resources to plan and implement energy transitions aligned with grid upgrades. These tools must enable site-specific assessments, cost modeling, and phasing to support investment decisions.

“These tools will provide the insight required to help owners make decisions to advance decarbonization in concert with grid optimization efforts taking place at scale.” – Josh Lasky, GWU

4. Advance Community-Led Microgrid Models

A new business model is needed—one where communities manage microgrids collectively as common-pool resources using decentralized control and shared benefits. This approach can reduce interconnection delays, improve reliability, and democratize energy access.

“A critical obstacle… is the lack of a business model where microgrids are managed as a common pool resource by the labor that builds them and the consumers that use them.” – Guy Warner, Pareto Energy

5. Align Regulatory Action with Operational Execution

Innovation exists but lacks policy integration and implementation support. Regulators need executable plans with measurable goals, clear accountability, and cross-agency collaboration to translate ideas into outcomes.

“Projects can stall in permitting, procurement, or interconnection queues… Whole grid solutions are needed, not a siloed approach.” – Odogwu Obi Linton, Maryland PSC

Conclusion

The AEG DMV 25Q3 Stakeholder Challenge on Grid Optimization brought together utility leaders, resilience experts, public regulators, institutional energy managers, and community energy innovators to address urgent obstacles to modernizing the electric grid in the District-Maryland-Virginia region. The challenge underscored the importance of redefining the value of distributed energy resources (DERs), empowering community-led microgrid models, and equipping building owners with actionable planning tools. Key themes included strengthening cross-jurisdictional coordination for regional planning, aligning regulatory action with operational execution, and ensuring equitable access to clean energy technologies. As volunteer task force members move forward with a 90-day sprint and a 12-month roadmap, their collective efforts will be vital in shaping a smarter, more resilient, and inclusive energy future for the DMV.

To join this group of volunteers who aligned on this critical obstacle and developed this 12 month goal and 90 day sprint, please contact us.

Access to private resource pages, which include speaker presentations, from AEG Stakeholder Challenges are reserved for Signature Sponsors and City/Government Partners. To become a Signature Sponsor, learn more here: https://aeg.team/engage