15.05.2024
Source: Energie & Management Powernews
In a pilot project, Transnet BW automatically throttled charging points for electric cars via its "StromGedacht" grid status app. The result was convincing.
The open application programming interface (API) of Transnet BW's "StromGedacht" app has been available since April 2023. It is now becoming clear what is possible by integrating the interface: In a pilot project, the transmission system operator connected 140 charging points for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to the Stromgedacht app via the API at the Mercedes-Benz site in Sindelfingen.
The app provides information on the status of the electricity grid in Baden-Württemberg: if there is a particularly large amount of electricity from renewable energies in the grid, it displays "super green"; in the event of strained grid situations, it switches to "orange" and uses push notifications to indicate when it makes sense to adjust electricity consumption.
According to a statement from the transmission system operator, the app has triggered the orange signal a total of four times since the start of the pilot project in September 2023. In these situations, Transnet BW has to take additional grid congestion measures to keep the transmission grid stable. Transnet BW reported that the automated, temporary load reduction of the connected charging points to a charging power of 7.0 kW resulted in a verifiable energy reduction during the orange phases in the pilot project.
In January 2024 alone, a four-hour power reduction led to a reduction of 154 kWh, which corresponded to an energy saving of 6 percent during the orange phase. At the end of the orange phase, all connected vehicles were charged again at full charging power.
The pilot project has proven the feasibility and demonstrated the sustainable benefits of intelligent control with regard to the increasing volatility of power availability in the face of rising electricity demand, according to Transnet BW.
"Although the quantities of electricity shifted were small, I am convinced that the industry can help us to reduce the need for grid congestion management in tense grid situations if Stromgedacht is widely used," said Werner Götz, CEO of Transnet BW GmbH, expressing his satisfaction with the project results: "We are now gathering additional experience in further pilot projects with industry and municipalities and are continuously developing Stromgedacht."
Author: Katia Meyer-Tien
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