DER Passport · Open Standard · v1.0
DERpass is a lightweight JSON standard for describing PV systems and distributed energy resources — their components, history, contracts, and provenance — in one portable, machine-readable file.
Like a car's service book, a DER Passport captures the full life of a power-generating asset — from commissioning, through maintenance events and ownership changes, to eventual decommissioning. When the system is sold or handed over to a new operator, the passport moves with it.
DERpass defines a open JSON Schema for this record. Any tool that speaks JSON can read, write, or validate a DER Passport. There's no vendor lock-in, no proprietary API, no central registry required.
National profiles (currently DE, NL) layer jurisdiction-specific fields — MaStR numbers, VDE norms, EAN codes — on top of the common core, keeping the standard both generic and locally precise.
.derpass.jsonOne .derpass.json file carries the complete asset record through ownership changes, grid operator handovers, and installer switches.
Built on JSON Schema draft 2020-12. Validate with any off-the-shelf library. No central authority, no registration required.
Covers components, metering, grid connection, compensation, insurance, contracts, remote access, and a full event log.
National profiles for DE and NL layer jurisdiction-specific fields. The additionalProperties model lets you add your own without breaking conformance.
Events and file revisions carry optional JWS signatures. A content-hash chain links each revision to the last, enabling tamper detection across handovers.
Drop any .derpass.json into the viewer to get a rendered, printable document — no software install required.
The 16 chapters of a complete DER Passport — all optional beyond the four required top-level fields.
DERpass removes the translation layer between the parties who install, operate, finance, and regulate distributed energy resources.
Commissioning reports lived in PDF folders on a shared drive. Datasheets were scanned, photos stored on personal phones. Handing over to an O&M provider meant emailing a ZIP archive and hoping nothing was lost in translation.
Each managed asset had its own spreadsheet — partially filled by the installer, partially by the operator. Maintenance history sat in a ticket system disconnected from asset data. Owner reports required pulling exports from three different tools.
Installers submitted grid connection requests on paper or proprietary online portals. DSO staff re-typed nameplate data into internal systems. Transcription errors caused delays, re-submissions, and weeks of back-and-forth before a system could be connected.
Ownership transfers required collecting scanned contracts, installer certificates, and grid approval letters from multiple parties. Establishing a clean chain of title for a PV asset could take weeks, with gaps in the record being the norm rather than the exception.
Assessing a distributed PV portfolio meant requesting technical data from installers, yield reports from operators, and contracts from owners — all in incompatible formats. Data rooms contained PDFs that could not be queried. Bankability assessments stretched over weeks.
Underwriting a PV asset required sending questionnaires to the owner, waiting for answers, and manually verifying them against whatever documentation could be found. Component age, maintenance frequency, and grid protection settings were rarely available in a consistent format.
Download the JSON Schema and use it to understand the structure. Any JSON Schema validator will tell you whether your file is valid.
core/v1.0/schema.jsonOnly four top-level fields are required: derpass_version, jurisdiction, meta, and commissioning. Add sections as you need them.
"derpass_version": "1.0"
"jurisdiction": { "primary": "DE" }
"meta": { … }
"commissioning": { … }
Drop your .derpass.json file into the viewer to see it rendered as a structured, printable document. No upload, no account — runs entirely in your browser.