In the “PV-Shift” project, transmission system operator TransnetBW is testing grid stabilization with the help of Tesla home storage systems. With Powerwall devices, the power grid is freed up during times of high load or low power by changing the charging processes of the batteries so that the solar systems deliver electricity to the public grid when needed. TransnetBW explains that this helps stabilize the energy grid in a cost-effective, resource-efficient and climate-neutral way.
“Our goal is to support the transition away from fossil fuels as quickly and affordably as possible by intelligently integrating decentralized flexibilities into the grid,” said Rainer Pflaum of TransnetBW. The field trial, initially planned for six months, is also intended to gather experience on the availability and predictability of flexibility potential to be included in the development of a standardized mechanism – the so-called Redispatch 3.0.
According to TransnetBW, cooperation between consumers and grid operators will enable the efficient integration of renewable energies into the electricity grid and further promote climate neutrality. To do this, the company took a closer look at the charging cycles of Tesla electric walls and found that photovoltaic home storage systems have degrees of freedom to charge from the photovoltaic system at flexible times over several months. This time, the gap between generation and load, i.e. flexibility, can be exploited through intelligent management.
According to TransnetBW, householders are not at a disadvantage by deliberately delaying the battery charging process. For participating solar home storage owners, this could even mean additional financial rewards in the future. In turn, the grid operator can use the generated photovoltaic electricity to reduce grid bottlenecks. Until now, mainly fossil-fired power plants have been used for the latter.
“With PV-Shift, we are gradually breaking new ground. The loss of conventional power plants is compensated by the huge demand for electric cars, heat pumps and solar systems with batteries. Practical experience in the interaction of network operators, system providers and end consumers is of central importance for the development of the electricity system of the future”, says Sabrina Reed, project manager of PV-Shift. According to the statement, TransnetBW will obtain free flexibility capacity from a limited number of stationary power walls for field testing. Tesla acts as an aggregator and interfaces between home storage owners and the transmission system operator, who use power to stabilize the grid when needed.
Last year, TransnetBW commissioned the University of Stuttgart to investigate the economic potential of using decentralized flexibility for retransmission in Baden-Württemberg. Baden-Württemberg alone has potential in the triple-digit million euro range. The company now wants to increase it gradually. With the launch of PV-Shift, an important building block is said to have been laid. The first results of the project are expected by the end of the year.