News
Case study for the planned Grid Booster pilot projects
Fluence commissioned Consentec to perform a case study for the planned Grid Booster pilot projects and analyze which additional services could be provided by Grid Booster batteries without causing any limitations to the battery’s primary transmission asset use case. Besides ancillary services like the provision of inertia, reactive power, short-circuit power and the contribution to network restoration, possibilities of an intermittent participation in energy wholesale markets are considered. Furthermore, the study highlights the required changes to today’s operational and regulatory procedures for realizing the provision of these additional services.
16.03.2023
Publications
Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection has published the report of the Federal Network Agency on the status and development of resource adequacy
The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection has published the report of the Federal Network Agency (in German: Bundesnetzagentur) on the status and development of resource adequacy. The report provided by the Federal Network Agency is based on the requirements of article 51 of the Energy Act. It relies on the results of two independent scientific analyses. One of these two reports was provided by Consentec in cooperation with the Institute of Energy Economics and Rational Energy Use (IER) and the research institute for energy economics and industry (Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V. FfE). The assessments to which the report refers have not yet been published. We will inform you as soon as it is available. This is the report (de) of the Bundesnetzagentur. Furthermore, this is the associated press release (de) including the recommendations for action derived by the Federal Government.
10.02.2023
Grid Boosters as innovative solution to optimize power grids – How Storage as Transmission Assets increase the utilization of transmission lines in EHV grids
Fluence commissioned Consentec to investigate the potential of grid boosters as an innovative solution to optimize power grids by increasing the utilization of transmission lines in EHV grids. The study explores the innovative concept and operational model of German grid booster projects and how similar projects can drive socio-economic value in other power grids around the world.
13.01.2023
Consentec enhances consulting team
Effective December 2022, Alexander Hobert joins the consulting team of Consentec as junior consultants. We warmly welcome Alexander as a colleague in our team.
07.12.2022
Consentec enhances consulting team
Effective November 2022, Dr Moritz Schillinger and Moritz Maercks join the consulting team of Consentec as junior consultants. We warmly welcome our new colleagues.
18.11.2022
Consentec enhances consulting team
Effective September 2022, Johanna Siekmann and Max Wertenbruch join the consulting team of Consentec as junior consultants. We give Johanna and Max a warm welcome.
22.09.2022
Description of the balancing process and the balancing markets
Commissioned by the German TSOs, Consentec already prepared a description of concepts for the German system balance and control reserve market already in 2020, which was published on regelleistung.net. This explanatory document has been updated and supplemented in order to meet the requirements of Article 60.1 of the Guideline on Electricity Balancing (EB GL) The document (in German and English) fulfills the requirement defined in the guideline that TSOs should prepare a report on the electricity balancing system for the previous two years at least every two years.
18.08.2022
Launch of Flow-Based Market Coupling in the Core region
On 8 June 2022, 16 transmission system operators and 10 power exchanges from 13 EU countries (the so-called Core region) introduced joint load flow-based market coupling. This strengthens the integration of the European electricity markets, facilitates the large-scale exchange of fluctuating energy from renewable sources and lowers the electricity production costs. On behalf of the German transmission system operator TenneT TSO GmbH, Consentec has significantly supported the development and implementation of the method for flow-based capacity calculation within this project. Further information can be found in the official press release.
13.06.2022
Why Spanish-Portuguese proposal to intervene in wholesale energy markets is problematic
Christoph Maurer and Lion Hirth comment on Why Spanish-Portuguese proposal to intervene in wholesale energy markets is problematic. Spain and Portugal want to push ahead with a benchmark price for energy, but this could lead to increased consumption of fossil gas, inflated gas prices and fewer incentives to invest in renewable energy, warn Lion Hirth and Christoph Maurer.
13.04.2022
Wholesale price interventions will not resolve energy crisis
Tagesspiegel Background Energie & Klima, a German media outlet specialized in energy and climate-related topics, today published an op-ed by Christoph Maurer, managing director of Consentec. Christoph argues that wholesale price interventions for electricity and gas markets currently discussed at EU level are an inappropriate reaction to high energy prices. Instead, they could rather fuel the crisis and do significant and long-lasting harm to the internal energy market. Policy measures should focus on mitigating consequences of high prices for vulnerable consumers. An English version of the op-ed is available here.
31.03.2022
Study on the Central and South Eastern Europe energy connectivity (CESEC) cooperation on electricity grid development and renewables published
One of the main goals of the initiative for the Central and South Eastern European Energy Connectivity (CESEC) is cooperation in the field of renewable energy. In this context the European Commission DG ENER commissioned the consortium of Ecorys, TU Wien, Consentec, Fraunhofer IEG, REKK und SQ Consult to identify the potential for cost-effective renewable energy projects and associated mid- and long-term infrastructure, regulatory and market requirements that facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources in the CESEC region.
23.03.2022
Expert report on monitoring the resource adequacy on the electricity markets in Germany published
In an expert report (English version to be expected in autumn 2021) commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Consentec and partner companies have investigated how resource adequacy on the electricity markets in Germany and its neighboring countries is expected to develop by 2030. The report is based on extensive stochastic model calculations whose assumptions were consulted with a large number of stakeholders from business and politics. The scenarios examined also cover ambitious climate protection targets with accelerated market-driven decommissioning of coal-fired power plants and increased sector coupling.
11.08.2021
Efficient integration of renewable energies with sector coupling technologies
Power-to-X technologies are important for the transformation and decarbonization of the energy system. In a project for German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Consentec in cooperation with Fraunhofer ISI and the law firm Beiten Burkhardt investigated how the integration of renewable energy by means of sector coupling is efficiently designed with respect to regulatory and legal framework. Focus was on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of reform options for government-induced price components. In principle, the analyses show that there are no clearly preferable solutions but that trade-offs always play an important role. The final report and a detailed appendix are published on the website of Umweltbundesamt.
25.08.2020
EXPERT OPINION FOR THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM OPERATOR APG ON POSSIBLE ENHANCEMENTS OF THE IMBALANCE SETTLEMENT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED
In 2019, Consentec supported the German TSOs in developing recommendations for enhancements to the German imbalance settlement. Consentec has now prepared a comparable expert opinion for the Austrian TSO APG. Based on the “Imbalance Settlement Harmonization Methodology” approved by ACER, the proposal developed provides for introducing an incentivizing and a scarcity component. These two elements are intended to ensure that, on the one hand, balance responsible parties will be able to reduce their imbalance costs, and on the other hand, situations endangering system security can be avoided. The methodology proposed will be consulted.
29.07.2020
Consentec enhances consulting team
Effective July 2020, Dr Philipp Baumanns joins the consulting team of Consentec as senior consultant.
01.07.2020
vzbv publishes study on proposed reforms for electricity network tariffs
There is vivid debate in Germany at present on how the flexibility of new consumption technologies like e-mobility chargers or heat pumps shall be made available for network-oriented purposes. The consumers association Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) has commissioned Consentec to analyse different models and to develop recommendations on their appropriate design. Special focus was put on a model proposed by consultants of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy and on the option of introducing time-dependent use-of-network charges. vzbv has recently published this study.
29.06.2020
Description of concepts for the German system balance and control reserve market
Commissioned by the German TSOs, Consentec prepared a description of concepts for the German system balance and control reserve market already in 2014, which was published on regelleistung.net. This explanatory document has been updated and supplemented in order to meet the requirements of Article 60.1 of the Guideline on Electricity Balancing (EB GL) The document (English version will soon be published) fulfills the requirement defined in the guideline that TSOs should prepare a report on the electricity balancing system for the previous two years at least every two years.
04.06.2020
Agora’s study “Building sector Efficiency: A crucial Component of the Energy Transition” also available in English
Agora’s study “Building sector Efficiency: A crucial Component of the Energy Transition” which was published in 2018, is also available in English. In cooperation with the Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg (ifeu) and Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE) Consentec analysed how climate targets can be achieved by building efficiency measures. To these ends, cross-sectoral effects of building efficiency measures and their impact on the total economic costs of heat-supply were presented. The study also identifies measures to take in buildings, energy systems and networks if energy-saving measures for buildings are not implemented.
12.02.2020