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Utilities implementing diverse grid modernization initiatives are observing greater volatility at the grid edge that cannot be managed using traditional electromechanically switched centralized command and control solutions. The decentralized, distributed, and dynamic capabilities required can only be achieved with semiconductor-based power electronics solutions that are deployed appropriately along the grid edge. The key control objective is the fast and granular control of volts and vars at hundreds of points along the feeder, a functionality typically associated with static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) and unified power flow controllers (UPFCs), albeit in a distributed manner and at lower voltage levels. Several companies are now offering grid-edge power-electronics solutions to solve this new set of challenges, with substantial data from the field validating the benefits that such solutions can provide. This article discusses the challenges, solutions, and some of the results that point to the benefits that power electronics at the grid edge can provide for utilities.