Companies and Municipalities Offer to Participate in ‘StromGedacht’ App to Stabilize Electricity Market

Wendlingen/Neckar (dpa/lsw) – The debate about almost everyday electricity shortages, which require the use of reserve power plants or the purchase of electricity from abroad (redispatch), is bearing fruit. According to company boss Werner Götz, the first companies and municipalities at the transmission system operator TransnetBW have offered to participate in the “StromGedacht” app. This involves, for example, throttling heat pumps for a few hours or not operating pumps in waterworks at certain times in order to stabilize the electricity market.

“We now have some pilot tests with a few companies,” said Götz to the German Press Agency in Wendlingen am Neckar (Esslingen district). The app has been expanded for this purpose and can send a signal to save electricity, which can be read by heat pumps and charging stations.

According to Götz, if this is technically sophisticated and tested, there is the potential to save on electricity purchases abroad. It would be desirable if the money saved would benefit those who participate. “This could create an economic incentive.” Another advantage is that TransnetBW can calculate better – because, for example, heat pump manufacturers know how many devices there are in a region and how much electricity can be saved.

Great response for app

The app, which was introduced in winter, was initially designed for consumers who can be informed via a message on their smartphone if there is an increased need for redispatch at a certain time. During this period you should – if possible – neither run washing machines nor charge batteries.

“We have received a huge response,” said Götz, referring to around 200,000 downloads so far. However, participation in saving is voluntary. TransnetBW cannot track who leaves devices off the network. “So I can’t say now that we saved X euros,” explained Götz. Nevertheless, the calls to save electricity via the app and the reports about it stimulated the discussion. And the leverage for saving is much greater through companies.

What redispatch is about

A redispatch is an intervention in electricity generation to avoid bottlenecks. “If there is a threat of a bottleneck at a certain point in the network, power plants on this side of the bottleneck are instructed to reduce their feed-in, while plants on the other side of the bottleneck have to increase their feed-in output,” explains the Federal Network Agency. This creates a load flow that counteracts the bottleneck. If existing systems are not sufficient, reserve power plants are started up or electricity is imported from other federal states and abroad.

Since renewable energies are being expanded as part of the energy transition, but the infrastructure for electricity transport still has to catch up, there may be an increasing number of such bottlenecks in the coming years. Wind turbines, for example, are built in the north because there is more wind there. A lot of electricity is needed in the industrially rich south. What makes matters worse is that the wind doesn’t always blow consistently and the sun doesn’t always shine reliably. Such fluctuations basically lead to new situations on the electricity market every day.

Learn to behave in accordance with the energy transition?

Götz was optimistic that electricity consumers will adapt their behavior. “Since I have a photovoltaic system on the roof, I look at when I produce electricity – and am inclined to say that I turn on the dishwasher or washing machine during that time frame,” he gave an example. “But I would still say that this is an intermediate step. In the end, I am firmly convinced that we will have intelligent machines that receive these signals automatically and I no longer have to worry about it.”

It used to be easier when conventional power plants could be used as needed. With more renewable energy, which depends on the weather, the situation is changing: “The power plants produce when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing,” said Götz. “And actually I have to structure my consumption so that it is maximum at the times. If I don’t succeed in doing that, I wouldn’t use the harvest that is possible.”

This requires an expansion of the networks. TransnetBW’s goal is that no one notices anything about the work. While there are traffic jams on the motorway due to construction sites or lane narrowings, such situations must be avoided in the power grid. “We cannot tell our customers: we will build from February to October and the electricity will be available again from November,” explained Götz. “That’s not possible. There should be no traffic jams. There should be no reduction and no danger.” That is a challenge.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:231009-99-494697/3