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Unlocking demand flexibility with grid edge intelligence
Enlit Editorial Team
Posted on: 12 May 2026
As DERs reshape electricity networks, Itron highlights the need for grid edge intelligence and DERMS to enable real-time visibility, flexibility and control for a more resilient, affordable energy future.
The energy transition is driving a move towards decentralisation and decarbonisation of the electric grid, with increasing demand for visibility and control at the grid edge. In this interview, Nick Tumilowicz, Director, Distributed Resource Energy Management at Itron, explains how grid edge intelligence is becoming critical to supporting this evolution.
Managing flexibility at the grid edge
“To accommodate a world that continues to decentralise and decarbonise the electric grid, both prosumers and grid operators will require a system to access and manage the flexibility of resources that reside at the edge of the grid.”
Tumilowicz explains that “near real-time visibility and control of the grid and DERs will be critical” as electricity demand and generation continue to grow across homes, commercial and industrial facilities.
The discussion explores how traditional demand response programmes are evolving, with cloud-based DERMS deployments extending to “more flexible resources like PV, solar, batteries and electric vehicles” to unlock additional grid services.
He also highlights the growing role of advanced grid intelligence, which is “being deployed to capitalise on edge compute, which is baked into the electric meter and data access points,” enabling more localised and autonomous load management.
“As we decentralise the grid, it’s going to be really important that we provide visibility at the edge, that we have the ability to control assets that are at the edge, and to effectively optimise the network.”
From top-down to bottom-up grid management
He further examines how utilities and consumers must increasingly work together in a more decentralised energy ecosystem.
“We’re opening up the paradigm to include customers that are sitting there at the edge, which also have control and the ability to generate through rooftop solar as an example, consume more electricity through electric vehicles as an example.”
A key theme throughout the discussion is the need for a hybrid approach to grid management, combining centralised optimisation with distributed intelligence at the edge.
“Historically, it’s always been top down for the past 30 years with demand response, demand flexibility, but now with autonomous load management, distributed intelligence and grid edge intelligence, we can also go from the bottom up to meet in the middle.”
Watch the full interview to learn how autonomous load management, modular solutions, and empowered consumers are driving reliability, resilience and affordability in the energy transition.
More interesting insights: Enabling Grid Edge Intelligence: How Norgesnett is Shaping Norway’s Energy Landscape
**This interview was filmed in November 2025 at Enlit Europe in Bilbao, Spain.
