Electric utilities increasingly can optimize their system infrastructure investments and save customers money by employing non-wires solutions (NWS) — portfolios of distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar photovoltaics, energy storage, energy efficiency, and demand response — to meet grid needs. Experts from Rocky Mountain Institute, Smart Electric Power Alliance, Wood Mackenzie, and Strategen joined New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Chairman Richard Kauffman for a wide-ranging discussion on the merits of integrating NWS into new grid modernization efforts.