Community Support

The distribution planning community you've been looking for.

A free, open community for electric utility distribution engineers — cooperatives, EMCs, and IOUs — to share knowledge, access tools, and stay ahead of regulatory and technical changes.

1,240+ members across 38 states

What community membership includes

Free for all electric utility engineers and staff. No sales pitch, no upsell.

Peer Discussion Forums

Ask questions, share solutions, and learn from distribution engineers at cooperatives, EMCs, and IOUs across the country.

Free Tool Library

Access our growing library of open-source distribution planning tools, templates, and calculation workbooks — built by engineers, for engineers.

Monthly Technical Briefings

Live 60-minute sessions on timely topics: regulatory changes, new AI tools, reliability benchmarks, and case studies from real utility projects.

Cooperative Peer Network

Connect directly with engineering staff at peer cooperatives. Share experiences, compare vendor relationships, and collaborate on common challenges.

Early Access to New Tools

Community members get early access to new Powerlytics.ai tools and features before general release — with direct input into product development.

Regulatory Alert Service

Immediate notifications when state PUCs, FERC, or USDA issue orders, guidance, or requirements affecting distribution planning and DER integration.

Active discussions

Real questions from real distribution engineers. Join to participate.

Distribution Studies
HotBest practices for modeling EV charging load in OpenDSS
RUS LRDP format requirements — what USDA actually checks
HotShort circuit study for systems with high IBR penetration
Voltage regulation strategies for long rural feeders
Hosting Capacity & DER
HotFERC Order 2023 impact on distribution-level interconnection
LBNL hosting capacity methodology — implementation questions
Managing developer self-service portals at small cooperatives
HotOhio PUC hosting capacity map compliance — who's done it?
Reliability & SRE
SAIDI benchmarking methodology — NRECA vs. EEI standards
OMS data quality issues affecting reliability calculations
HotAutomated outage cause coding — is AI ready for this?

Free tool library

Open-source tools and templates built by Powerlytics.ai engineers. Free for all community members.

TemplateExcel + Word

RUS LRDP Study Template

Pre-formatted 10-year Long-Range Distribution Plan template compliant with USDA 7 CFR 1724. Includes all required sections, calculation worksheets, and narrative guidance.

2,340 downloads
ToolExcel

Hosting Capacity Calculation Workbook

Step-by-step hosting capacity calculation workbook using the LBNL simplified methodology. Suitable for feeders without full power flow modeling capability.

1,890 downloads
DashboardExcel

SAIDI/SAIFI Benchmarking Dashboard

Interactive Excel dashboard for tracking and benchmarking SAIDI, SAIFI, and CAIDI against NRECA peer groups. Includes 5-year trend analysis and improvement target setting.

3,120 downloads
ReferencePDF

Distribution Planning Study Checklist

Comprehensive checklist for scoping, executing, and reviewing distribution planning studies. Covers data requirements, quality checks, and deliverable standards.

4,560 downloads
ToolPython + Excel

EV Load Impact Assessment Tool

Simplified tool for estimating distribution feeder impacts from EV charging adoption. Models L2 residential, L2 commercial, and DCFC scenarios with configurable adoption curves.

1,240 downloads
ReferenceExcelMembers

DERMS Vendor Evaluation Matrix

Comprehensive vendor evaluation matrix for DERMS procurement. Covers 47 technical and operational criteria across 8 major DERMS platforms. Updated Q1 2026.

980 downloads

Upcoming events

Free webinars, workshops, and Q&A sessions for community members.

Apr 8, 2026

Ohio PUC Hosting Capacity Compliance — What You Need to Do Now

Webinar142 registered

Apr 15, 2026

OpenDSS for Distribution Planners — Hands-On Workshop

Workshop48 registered

Apr 22, 2026

FERC Order 2023 Distribution Impacts — Q&A Session

Q&A89 registered

May 6, 2026

RUS Loan Study Automation — Live Demo

Demo67 registered

Join 1,240+ distribution engineers.

Free membership. No spam. Just the most useful distribution planning community on the internet.

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