Network utility according to Section 14a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG) – ever heard of it? It's on everyone's lips right now, but it's old hat in the energy industry. Work has been underway since 2017, and the new regulation will apply from January 1, 2024.
The aim is to relieve the strain on the power grid in emergencies and exceptional circumstances. In the NiEMob research project, we worked with OTH Regensburg to investigate how expensive grid expansion can be avoided as e-mobility increases. The project showed that critical grid conditions arise as soon as 30 percent of households have an 11 kW wallbox. And how can the grid be relieved? By throttling the power for so-called controllable consumers such as wall boxes and heat pumps. This makes the devices grid-friendly.
Leaflet HEMS developed for grid serviceability
Who or what controls this? Standardized, certified components and interfaces of the smart metering system take care of this. With its CLS interface, our Home Energy Manager Leaflet HEMS is ready for this grid-friendly control system, and certification is expected to follow as soon as possible.
The Leaflet HEMS is connected to the Smart Meter Gateway (SMGW). It adapts controllable consumers to the specifications of the network operator and optimizes operation at the same time. This ensures that the car is charged in good time and the heat pump provides sufficient heating.
The combination of HEMS and grid serviceability is unique—no other HEMS has this function integrated.
The facts about network utility according to §14a
The good thing about Section 14a of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG): In future, grid operators must allow the connection of wall boxes and heat pumps – previously, they were allowed to refuse if this could overload their distribution grid. What else you need to know:
- The network operator may only throttle performance as a last resort.
- Normal household electricity is not restricted.
- For the time being, the network operator may throttle for a maximum of two hours per day. This regulation applies for 24 months. After that, the network operator must take measures to prevent overload (e.g., larger transformer) or switch to network-oriented control. This may then be done as long and as often as necessary.
- The reduced power output must always be at least 4.2 kW. This allows a heat pump or wallbox to be operated, but with less power. In 2 hours, you can still charge enough for a range of around 50 kilometers.
- Larger consumers actually require even more power —this is calculated using a factor of 0.4. For a heat pump with 22 kW, this would still be a minimum output of 8.8 kW.
- Even with multiple consumers, such as wall boxes in an underground car park, the grid operator must provide more power. A simultaneity factor is taken into account here.
Consumers receive discounts
Because they reduce the load on the grid, households and plant operators with controllable consumers receive a bonus. There are three options available:
- The network operator pays an annual flat fee (110 to 190 euros).
- The network operator reduces the electricity working price by 60 percent.
- In combination with option 1, the grid operator opts for a time-variable grid fee with hourly scaling. From 2025 onwards, the price of electricity will depend on how much electricity is currently being produced.
Our conclusion on the current status of Section 14a of the Energy Industry Act
In the target model of Section 14a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG), the grid operator controls or "dims" the grid in the event of acute overload in the grid line caused by controllable consumers. Contrary to some false reports, grid operators are not allowed to reduce electricity in the event of supply bottlenecks, i.e., if the electricity supply is insufficient. It is also not a "control law," "energy hammer," or whatever else it may be called. The law has been in the works since 2017, and now the Federal Network Agency has taken care of it and presented the current version.