Energy Infrastructure Application - Energy
Major investments in the expansion of the transmission and distribution networks are planned as a result of renewable energy integration and the growing consolidation of Europe’s energy markets. New technologies in the energy grid sector - including, for example, superconductors, high-temperature lines and local power transformers – are being tested in pilot projects. ICT solutions provide important information for the safe operation of power grids. Alongside battery storage with solar systems, large-scale storage solutions are playing a growing role in the balancing energy market. Hydrogen also plays an important role thanks to the linking of energy, heat and the mobility sector.
The German Electricity Market - A Brief Overview
The German electricity market is Europe's largest, with annual power generation of around 625 TWh and a capacity of around 200 GW.
Germany’s domestic electricity market was fully liberalized in 1998 (Energy Industry Act), opening the market for new players and stimulating new business opportunities. Prior to liberalization, a defined supply area was typically served by a single supplier (e.g. local utility).
More than one thousand market participants are active in the fully liberalized German electricity market, with new market actors – who do not own power plants or supplier networks - successfully entering the domestic electricity market. The creation of the Bundesnetztagentur ('Federal Network Agency') regulatory office for electricity, gas, telecommunications, post, and railway markets in 1998 further opened up the power market. A raft of measures promoting competition – including legal unbundling for suppliers with more than 100,000 customers – was introduced. The agency is responsible for ensuring non-discriminatory third party access to power network.
The fluctuating supply of electricity from renewables requires upgrades to be made to the entire power grid. An investment of over 35 billion euros is planned for the construction of high-voltage transmission lines - “electricity autobahns” - from the wind-rich north to major industrial regions.
Transmission system operators (TSOs) keep control power available to maintain stable and reliable supply. Demand for control energy is created when the sum of power generated varies from the actual load (due to for example unforeseeable weather fluctuations).