BERLIN: Germany wants to allow electricity grid operators to reduce power supply for controllable consumption devices such as electric cars or heat pumps when bottlenecks occur.
Such last-resort interventions “should only be possible to the extent that is technically necessary,” said Klaus Müller, president of the country’s network regulator.
Germany is struggling to expand its grids, which are often not fit to supply such power-hungry devices, a reason why some operators have refused to connect them in the past.
The federal agency will now require grid operators to provide such connections, and in turn grant them more flexibility to manage the grid. The country’s car industry has opposed interventions during the charging process, arguing that such measures could inhibit the ramp-up of electro-mobility.
The regulator’s proposal also states that in the case of a bottleneck, grid operators must swiftly act to expand their power lines.
Electricity for such devices would be reduced to a minimum of 4.2 megawatts — half a megawatt more than initially proposed — ensuring that households can still operate heat pumps and charge e-cars, even if at a slower pace.
A vehicle charged for two hours could still gain a range of 50km under that scenario.
The agency also proposed flexible power tariffs to incentivise consumers to shift their usage to times of lower electricity demand.
The rules can still be discussed with stakeholders and should be implemented in January 2024.
