Heat pumps and charging systems for electric cars should be connected to the network quickly. At the same time, it must not be overloaded. The Federal Network Agency has now drawn up rules with which both should succeed.
In the future, electricity network operators will be allowed to temporarily restrict electricity purchases from new controllable heat pumps or charging stations if there is a risk of the electricity network being overloaded. “A minimum output must always be available so that heat pumps can be operated and electric cars can continue to be charged,” the Federal Network Agency announced on Monday in Bonn.
The distribution network operators are allowed to reduce the consumption to up to 4.2 kilowatts for the duration of the overload. “This means that heat pumps can continue to operate and electric cars can usually be recharged for 50 kilometers in two hours.” The authority emphasized that regular household electricity would not be affected.
In return, the operators of the controllable devices, such as households, receive a discount. Either as an annual flat rate for the network fee or as a reduction of the network fee labor price by 60 percent for the respective devices. Anyone who opts for the flat rate can also opt for a time-variable network fee from 2025. Consumers then pay less network fees when purchasing electricity during times of low network utilization. The network operators are also no longer allowed to refuse to connect controllable consumption devices with reference to possible bottlenecks.
New rules apply from January
The Federal Network Agency assumes that interventions by network operators will only have to take place in exceptional cases and will not result in any significant loss of comfort. “Complete shutdowns of controllable consumption devices are no longer permitted,” it said. The network operators must also publish such control interventions on common internet platforms. This makes it understandable for the general public when overload problems occur in individual network areas and the network operator needs to better equip its network.
The new rules apply from January. For existing systems for which there is already an agreement for control by the network operator, there are long-standing transitional regulations. Existing systems without such an agreement remain permanently excluded, but can participate voluntarily. Night storage heaters should not be permanently subject to the new rules.
The authority explained that most of the low-voltage networks are not yet designed for a rapid ramp-up of heat pumps and private charging devices. The networks would therefore have to be optimized, digitized and expanded at a high pace. Where this network optimization has not yet taken place, the regulations ensure an acceleration of the transport and heating transition and ensure security of supply, including in low voltage.
Source: Stern
