The state of cooperative grid flexibility.
What 55+ distribution and G&T cooperatives are running into as they build and run DER flexibility programs.
Summer 2026 · By Cyril Brunner, Texture · Based on monthly CORD working sessions since March 2026
10
BYO battery programs across 850+ co-ops
5–7 yrs
Program ROI window most co-ops work with
55+
Co-ops contributing to this report
About this report
The CORD Report is research from CORD (Cooperative Operations Research and Development), a working group of distribution and G&T cooperatives hosted by Texture. Edition 01 draws on monthly CORD working sessions with staff from 55+ cooperatives running DER flexibility programs, covering how they pay for edge DERMS, prove program savings, and share a single view of the territory.
Key findings
How do OEM integration fees affect co-op DER programs?
Many edge DERMS contracts bundle an annual platform fee, a per-device fee, and a separate charge for each OEM integration. For co-ops, supporting members' real mix of devices can quickly cost more than the program delivers, which pushes them to limit programs to a few brands. CORD members say OEM relationships are the vendor's job, not a billable line item.
How long do co-op DER programs take to pay back?
Most co-ops are working with 5 to 7 year ROIs and looking for ways to bring that down. When a business case needs thousands of devices and three to five years of growth to break even, CORD members say the fee structure is usually the problem, not the program design. Pricing has to fit programs still at 10, 50, or 100 devices.
Why are bring-your-own battery programs so rare at co-ops?
There are only 10 bring-your-own-battery programs among 850+ distribution and G&T cooperatives. Most co-ops have already worked out incentives. The harder work is upstream: knowing how many devices are in the territory, accurately forecasting peaks, and proving savings at the member-owner level, not just in aggregate.
How can co-op teams work from the same view when tools don't connect?
Batteries, thermostats, EVs, water heaters, and load control often sit in separate platforms, alongside separate AMI, GIS, and SCADA tools. The co-ops that have gotten furthest started at the data layer, so operators, programs teams, engineers, and AI tools all query the same model. G&Ts also need each member to see their own data, while the G&T sees across all of them.
The biggest barrier to launching a battery program was the per-OEM integration cost. We have over 20 member co-ops, each with different battery brands across their territories. The math fell apart before we even started.
Get the full report.
Inside the report:
How to roll out DER programs when OEM integration fees make serving every member impossible?
How to demonstrate program savings when the underlying data is incomplete, skewed, or inaccessible?
How can engineering, operations, and programs teams work from the same view when their tools don't connect?
How this report was made
- Drawn from monthly CORD working sessions, not outside analysis
- Real pricing, savings, and tooling problems co-ops are working through
- What worked, what didn't, from the members who lived it
- 55 distribution and G&T cooperatives contributed their experiences; 20+ co-ops across 12 states meet in CORD's monthly virtual sessions
- Member quotes are anonymized
- Written by Cyril Brunner, Director of Market Development at Texture, who spent 13 years at Vermont Electric Cooperative across SCADA, engineering, technology, and DER programs
Get the CORD Report.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CORD Report?
The CORD Report is research from CORD (Cooperative Operations Research and Development), a working group of distribution and G&T cooperatives hosted by Texture. Each edition draws on what co-op staff share in monthly CORD working sessions, not outside analysis.
Who contributed to the CORD Report Edition 01?
Staff from 55+ distribution and G&T cooperatives running DER flexibility programs, including program managers, engineers, and operations leads.
Is the CORD Report free?
Yes. The full report is free to download with an email address.
How can my cooperative join CORD?
Any distribution or G&T cooperative can join. CORD meets monthly, and every co-op is welcome. Join CORD.
Join CORD
Have a challenge you're working through or a perspective to add? Cyril and the CORD group would like to hear from you.
About CORD and Texture
CORD is hosted by Texture, which integrates a utility's grid data into a single grid model so its teams and AI agents can actually use it. Texture started CORD to understand co-op challenges before trying to solve them.