  With the increasing adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) in
distribution networks, distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS)
are becoming an attractive option to coordinate the control of DERs, especially
primal-dual-based DERMS, which is a well-developed class. To help reduce the
uncertainty in commercializing DERMS, we evaluate and find the upper limits of
severity for some common issues that can occur within the communication systems
upon which a primal-dual-based DERMS relies; these issues include packet
losses, link failures, and delays. This information can help a DERMS operator
decide on the specifications for the communication infrastructure it will
invest in for the DERMS. Our evaluation is based on numerical simulations of a
real-world feeder with approximately 2,000 nodes and a DERMS that controls 163
photovoltaic generators and 140 energy storage batteries. In general, we find
that the DERMS becomes less resistant to communication issues as the
information flows closer to the DERs implementing the controllable power
injections.
