{"id":16666,"date":"2024-10-30T08:05:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T08:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/esf\/?p=16666"},"modified":"2024-10-30T08:05:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T08:05:46","slug":"rethinking-powergrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esforin.com\/en\/rethinking-powergrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Powergrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alexandra Kaatz studied Electrical and Information Engineering at TU Dortmund University, specializing in Energy Engineering, and earned her Master of Science degree. Since joining the Federal Network Agency, she has been working in energy regulation, with a focus on grid development and system stability in the transmission grid. After spending a year in the Grid Expansion Department, she has led the Offshore and International Team for nearly five years and recently took on the role of deputy head of the Scenario Framework Team. Her unit is responsible for the entire grid development process, from the consultation and approval of the scenario framework to the review of grid expansion measures.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Dear Ms. Kaatz, thank you very much for giving us a glimpse into your day-to-day work today! Grid expansion is one of the most complex technical challenges of the energy transition. What central role does transmission grid expansion play in this context, and what technical and regulatory hurdles must be overcome to provide the necessary grid capacity for integrating renewable generation as quickly as possible?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grid expansion is a fundamental component of the energy transition. Grid expansion at the distribution network level serves, in particular, to integrate smaller regional generators as well as new local consumers, such as heat pumps. Transmission grid expansion, on the other hand, is necessary for the large-scale transmission of higher power levels. The expansion of large wind farms is taking place primarily in northern and northeastern Germany. The capacity of offshore wind farms is set to be expanded to 70 GW by 2045. Major consumption centers, however, are located in the south and west of Germany. To deliver the energy to these consumers, the expansion of the transmission grids is absolutely essential.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the past, there were lengthy approval processes, which were often further complicated by massive resistance from the public or local municipalities. To explain the background and necessity of grid expansion to the public, both the transmission system operators (TSOs) and the Federal Network Agency have held extensive public engagement and information events. Furthermore, the amendment of the NABEG and the EnWG\u2014and the accompanying introduction of preference zones\u2014now makes it possible to significantly shorten the approval processes for direct current projects, which accelerates grid expansion.<\/em><\/p>\n

2. The Grid Development Plan (GDP) is developed through extensive consultations with various stakeholders. What specific challenges do you see in balancing the interests of grid operators, policy objectives, and the needs of industry? How do you manage to incorporate these different perspectives into the scenario frameworks and long-term grid development?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is of great importance to the Federal Network Agency to involve the various stakeholders in the NEP process. To ensure robust planning of grid expansion, the process is repeated every two years so that any legal or technical changes can be reviewed and, if necessary, incorporated into infrastructure planning. First, the TSOs develop a draft scenario framework (SZR), on which the Federal Network Agency subsequently consults the public. During the consultation, we also hold informational events and encourage all stakeholders to participate. To meet the future requirements of sector coupling and enable closer integration of grid planning processes, the TSOs have launched a joint market survey with the transmission system operators (gas) for large-scale consumers. This joint survey took place for the first time in the current process and is now to be conducted on an ongoing basis in order to better reflect the future needs of industry.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Market modeling and grid calculations are essential tools for ensuring system stability. How exactly do these modeled scenarios and the grid calculations based on them help identify bottlenecks in the power grid early on and efficiently determine the actual need for grid expansion?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To make our power grids ready for the future, three different scenario paths are being developed for the target years 2037 and 2045. These scenarios form the basis for the subsequent regionalization, market modeling, and the grid calculations built upon them. Based on a historical weather year, time series are first created for renewable energy feed-in as well as for consumption. This means that generation and consumption are calculated for each of the 8,760 hours in a year. The consumption that cannot be covered by renewables in each individual hour is referred to as residual load. This must be covered through the use of storage systems, flexibility measures, controllable power plants, or imports. If generation exceeds consumption in a given hour, the residual load becomes negative. This excess generation is then typically utilized by storage systems or electrolysers, or exported. The result of this market modeling forms the basis for the grid calculation. The resulting grid utilization in each individual hour ultimately indicates the need for necessary grid expansion. <\/em><\/p>\n

Without these complex steps\u2014including the development of scenarios, the allocation of consumption and generation within the regionalization process, market modeling, and grid calculations\u2014it would not be possible to reliably determine future grid expansion needs.<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Flexibility is a crucial factor in the future electricity system. Which technological options do you consider particularly well-suited to minimizing the need for grid expansion? Which technologies could be implemented in the short term in a cost-effective manner?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the future, private households, as well as industry and commerce, can and must do their part. For private individuals, the potential is growing, particularly with new applications such as electric vehicles and heat pumps; however, the combination of PV systems and small-scale battery storage can also make a significant contribution. Currently, however, private individuals generally use storage systems to optimize their self-consumption, which means their potential is not being fully realized. Furthermore, the ability to respond to price signals and control the devices accordingly is a basic prerequisite. This requires the rapid rollout of smart meters and the creation of flexible electricity rates. The current penetration rate of smart meters is only about 1%. Although the selection of flexible electricity rates has increased slightly in recent years, it remains very limited.<\/em><\/p>\n

When it comes to industrial demand, technical constraints on the one hand and the structure of grid tariffs on the other have historically tended to result in inflexible consumer behavior. However, certain industries are certainly capable of responding flexibly to price signals. This flexibility is also referred to as load management or Demand Side Management (DSM). By adjusting demand behavior, companies can both reduce their own electricity costs and relieve strain on the overall system. In the draft of the SZR, the TSOs propose a DSM potential of 5.3 GW to 6.7 GW by 2045.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is also likely that, in the future, industrial consumption will be combined with on-site storage systems to increase flexibility.<\/em><\/p>\n

5. The Federal Network Agency is currently revising electricity grid fees, particularly for energy-intensive industrial customers, with
\n a focus on greater flexibility. If you could make a wish regarding the future structure of electricity grid fees, what changes or measures would you like to see?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would like to see a fair and equitable distribution of grid fees based on who causes the costs. Of course, our industry should not be unduly burdened either. In my view, it is up to policymakers to address this issue.<\/em><\/p>\n