With a legacy spanning over 150 years, Brooks Utility Products has been a trusted partner in the utility industry, delivering innovative solutions at the point of metering. From introducing the industry's first meter socket adapter (MSA) for DTE Energy to its current role in enabling virtual power plants (VPPs) and distributed energy resources (DERs), Brooks remains committed to innovation and customer-driven product development.
Advancing Grid Resiliency
The company has developed deep expertise in developing custom MSAs that enhance grid reliability for various metering applications – meter form conversions, surge protection, temporary power installations, fiber-to-the-home networks, power quality, data gathering, edge AI, and DERs. As the need for energy resilience grows, integrating DERs into the grid has become critical, particularly for solar and battery storage systems. “We’re moving toward enabling virtual power plants by enabling the interconnection of DERs directly at the meter socket—the common point of coupling,” says Director of Electrical Products, Anup Dulat. “The level of customization we offer for each DER application is what sets us apart.”
As weather-related grid disruptions—such as wildfires and storms—become more frequent, ensuring resilience is more critical than ever. Brooks is at the forefront of this effort, enhancing grid reliability with safe and cost-effective MSA solutions that safeguard communities while maintaining a stable energy supply. By empowering homeowners to integrate backup batteries and solar solutions, Brooks is fostering what Dulat calls a “hardened” grid where millions of small-scale energy producers collectively strengthen overall resilience.
Brooks also has a crucial role in advancing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), ensuring seamless integration of new meters with legacy grid systems. NEMA’s forthcoming grid resiliency study explores AMI as a technologically and market-ready grid flexibility solution.
Brooks has also become a leading voice in the broader industry. Director of Strategic Business Development, Bob Kiessling, recently contributed to NEMA’s white paper on Meter Socket Adapters, co-authored with UL Solutions. He calls the technical document, “an instrument to educate the utilities on connecting DER at the meter socket.”
Shaping the Future of a Dynamic Utility Landscape
Staying a step ahead and remaining an industry thought leader means adapting to industry changes through continuous learning and customer engagement. The company conducts annual surveys to understand utility customer needs and maintains strong relationships with leading investor-owned utilities (IOUs). Brooks takes pride in understanding their customers’ key business challenges and works collaboratively to develop value-add solutions. The company’s philosophy of “We have answers” remains a key differentiator of why customers prefer partnering with Brooks.
In addition to maintaining deep customer engagement, Brooks has invested heavily in building a world-class manufacturing operation. “We’re integrating AI and machine learning (ML) technologies in our quality assurance processes to deliver best-in-class quality to our customers,” says Dulat. Brooks’ continuous improvement mindset allows the company to persistently serve the evolving needs of the utility industry at every stage – from designing custom DER solutions to delivering world-class quality products to its customers.
Finally, Brooks also actively participates in metering events and industry forums to stay informed and contribute to evolving standards. This ensures its products meet the latest compliance requirements while addressing emerging grid challenges.
As the utility industry continues its rapid transformation, Brooks Utility Products stands as a key enabler of grid modernization, DER integration, and enhanced resilience. Through its commitment to innovation, customer partnership, and quality, Brooks is shaping the future of energy.