As ERCOT’s Advanced DER program takes shape and the PUC moves forward with DER interconnection rulemaking, Texas is redefining how distributed resources contribute to grid reliability and consumer affordability. This panel examines how DERs and VPPs are being deployed across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors to reduce peak demand and lower costs, and what demand response and energy efficiency mean as non-wires alternatives in a state with a uniquely independent grid.