Electricity from neighbors: Energy Agency wants clear rules for "energy sharing"
Wind energy from the nearby wind farm or solar power from rooftops next door: Dena presents models for sharing electricity sources.
Wind turbines in eastern Holstein.
(Image: heise online / anw)
The German Energy Agency (Dena) has presented implementation models for "energy sharing". This involves the coordinated consumption of electricity that is generated jointly in close proximity and uses the public grid.
In their analysis, Dena employees, experts from the consulting firm B.A.U.M. and the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT) write that, in principle, the participants are still considered to be electricity suppliers with corresponding obligations. "Energy Sharing Communities (ESC) could be promoted by their members offering their unused electricity to a central supplier that supplies all consumers. Alternatively, ESCs themselves or intermediaries could sell the electricity. In the future, networks are conceivable in which energy and commercial supply relationships exist within ESCs between decentralized producers, "prosumers" and consumers without intermediary energy suppliers.
Relieved grid
Energy Sharing Communities (ESCs) could help to relieve grid congestion through consumption close to generation or by offering the additional benefits of a flexible electricity market, writes Dena. The legal basis for this in the EU is the Electricity Market Directive, which was amended last year and introduces "active customers" and simplifies supplier obligations. In Austria, for example - similar to Denmark and Italy - there are already renewable energy communities that are locally limited and must be located within a specific grid area. They are also allowed to trade renewable heat and gas.
ESC models are also already possible in Germany. There are more far-reaching proposals for this, which differ in terms of the criteria applied for the origin of electricity, balancing periods, the geographical scope, the participants and the extent of their supply, as well as monetary incentives. The Federal Ministry of Economics intends to implement the reformed EU directive with a second solar package. A first step towards ESC is the community building supply introduced with the predecessor, which for the first time in Germany has made it possible to supply end customers without fulfilling full supplier obligations.
No energy community without smart meters
Dena is calling for a practicable legal framework to quickly bring the law created by the EU to life. What is needed is regulated handling of energy-related data and a secure digital infrastructure. Smart electricity meters and associated gateways are currently the starting point for data collection in Germany. Digital meters are the prerequisite for billing according to variable tariffs and the optimized use of energy systems, which can also be controlled automatically.
According to Dena, energy suppliers could benefit from new business models and play an important role in the implementation of energy sharing. This has already been demonstrated in practice by the Wunergy pilot project set up with Stadtwerke Wunsiedel.
(usz)
