Technology & Solutions

Network bottlenecks occur when the transport capacity of the power grid is not sufficient to transport the amount of electricity that is required at a certain time. This can have various causes, such as unforeseen failures of network components or the uneven distribution of electricity generation and consumption, as is often the case with renewable energies.
Bottleneck management refers to measures that are used to avoid or eliminate these network bottlenecks. The aim is to ensure network stability and security of supply. A central measure of bottleneck management is redispatch.

Control energy or regulating power is an important component in the power system that contributes to the stability of the power grid. It is used to balance short-term fluctuations between power generation and power consumption.
Control energy is provided by grid operators and is activated when the frequency of the power grid deviates from its setpoint (50 Hz in Europe). Control energy is divided into different categories depending on the response time and duration of the provision: primary control power, secondary control power and tertiary control power (minute reserve).

Intraday trading in the energy industry refers to same-day trading on the electricity exchange, helping balance short-term supply and demand imbalances caused by unforeseen events like weather fluctuations in renewables. As renewable energy grows, intraday trading is crucial for managing grid volatility, helping suppliers and operators mitigate risks and ensure sufficient electricity availability. It also supports balancing energy by enabling quick reactions to imbalances.

Peak shaving is an energy management strategy that aims to reduce peak loads in electricity consumption. Peak loads often occur at certain times of the day when electricity consumption is particularly high.
Peak loads cause unnecessary costs for all market players and have a negative impact on grid stability. Peak shaving measures ensure cost savings and contribute to improved grid stability.

Reactive power is, as the name suggests, the part of the current that does not transfer energy. It is the power in an alternating current circuit that does not do any work, but only occurs due to phase shifts between current and voltage. However, this does not mean that it is unnecessary. On the contrary, reactive power is needed to regulate the current so that the voltage always remains at the required level.
It is particularly important that renewable energies also generate reactive power. Due to the expansion of renewable energies, large power plants are only used intermittently or gradually switched off. However, reactive power is still needed to keep the power grid stable.

Black start capability refers to the ability of an energy generation system to start up again after a complete grid failure (blackout) without an external power supply. For this, the black start capable systems must meet special technical requirements, such as the ability to generate electricity with the right voltage and frequency to rebuild the grid. Black start capable systems are an important pillar for ensuring grid stability, even after a total failure.