Yield Energy debuts ag-focused DERMS to turn farm operations into grid assets

Backed by CEC funding and deep AgTech integrations, the company now manages more than 200 MW of flexible agricultural load across California.

Yield Energy, the company formerly known as Polaris Energy Services, has launched a new distributed energy resource management system designed specifically for agriculture—a move that positions farms as a major source of flexible, utility-grade grid support. 

The new platform, Yield Edge DERMS, arrives as the company surpasses 200 megawatts of agricultural load under management, including more than 100 MW enrolled in PG&E’s Hourly Flex Pricing pilot for growers.

Supported by nearly $3 million in California Energy Commission funding, Yield Energy has spent the past several years validating that farms can reliably deliver automated, real-time energy flexibility without disrupting day-to-day operations. That work has now culminated in a platform built to orchestrate irrigation pumps, cold storage, EV and equipment chargers, solar arrays, batteries, and on-site generation—effectively turning common farm assets into dispatchable virtual power plants.

“Agriculture has always had the potential to be one of the grid’s most powerful partners—it just needed the right tools,” stated Tyler Nuss, Chief Executive Officer of Yield Energy. “We’ve proven that on-farm operations can deliver reliable, grid-ready flexibility at scale. Yield Energy connects that flexibility to the operational demands of today’s grid, creating new revenue for growers while delivering capacity that’s faster, cleaner, and far more affordable than new infrastructure.”

A key part of the company’s strategy is its broad integration network across the AgTech sector. Yield Energy now connects with systems from WiseConn, Farmblox, LUMO, Ranch Systems, Swan Systems, Netafim, and Verdi, enabling pumps, sensors, and automation hardware to participate seamlessly in demand response and other grid programs. These integrations allow farms to respond within minutes to grid needs while maintaining normal irrigation and operational schedules.

Performance data from California deployments highlights the scale of the opportunity:

• 100 percent average demand response performance across enrolled devices;
• 67 percent load shift potential during peak hours;
• $20,000+ average annual revenue per participating grower;
• More than 10,000 devices are now enabled on the platform

“Partnering with Yield Energy is transforming what’s possible for our growers,” said a WiseConn spokesperson. “With a single integration, our irrigation technology can now unlock new revenue, tap into more utility programs, and deliver measurable value back to farms—all while strengthening the grid.”

By aligning agricultural operations with utility needs, Yield Energy is carving out a new category of clean, flexible capacity—one that offers rapid response, localized reliability benefits, and a far lower cost than new infrastructure or storage projects. 

For growers, the model provides a recurring revenue stream without requiring changes to crop schedules or irrigation practices.

Please note that there is a Toronto-based Yield Energy company (with the same web address), but it has nothing to do with this agricultural company.

Yield Energy is a San Diego, California-based leader in agricultural energy flexibility technology, specializing in software that connects on-farm equipment to grid programs to generate new revenue for growers while supporting reliability. More information is available at https://yieldenergy.com.