Utilities and grid operators stressed the need for real-time information on distributed energy resources to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission panel in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. FERC organized the conference to gather information on the challenges of integrating DERs into the wholesale power market, which makes up about three-quarters of the country’s electricity supply. “The worst thing that could happen for distribution companies is to not have visibility on…that distributed energy resource,” said Larry Bekkedahl, Portland General Electric’s vice president of Transmission and Distribution, speaking to a panel of 10 FERC representatives.