The president of the German Federal Grid Agency, Klaus Müller, has warned of an overload of the electricity grid in Germany due to the increasing number of private charging stations for electric cars and electric heat pumps. “If a large number of new heat pumps and charging stations are still installed, problems with overload and local power failures will arise in the distribution network if we do not intervene.”
According to the newspaper report, the Bonn authority considers the local low-voltage networks to be particularly susceptible to interference. The network agency has therefore issued a key points memorandum that provides for temporary electricity rationing for heat pumps and charging points for electric cars in times of high grid occupancy. According to the newspaper, network operators would then have to be forced and centrally throttle the power supply of the systems. According to the report, the electricity rationing plans will come into effect on January 1, 2024.
However, the heaters and chargers should not be completely disconnected from the power grid in critical phases, says Müller of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. “We want to guarantee a minimum supply at all times.”
Plenty of power even with rationing
Even with electricity rationing, private charging stations could get enough electricity to charge an electric car battery within three hours for a range of 50 kilometers. In addition, according to the report, “almost fault-free throughput” must remain possible for a large number of heat pumps.
In the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”, the CEO of the Düsseldorf energy group Eon, Thomas König, called for a strongly accelerated expansion and modernization of the local and regional electricity grids. He referred to numerous requests for connecting new systems and waiting times of up to eight months for connecting the systems to the electricity grid. However, investment would be held back by lengthy construction approval procedures that could take up to 12 years. “That is completely out of the question,” said König.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
