Wendlingen / Mannheim, June 6, 2024: eSystems, a manufacturer of smart wallboxes, and PPC, a provider of smart grid services (SMGW), have demonstrated how their products can be used to continuously adjust the charging power of electric vehicles. The wallbox’s power output is reduced to up to 4.2 kW—as required by Section 14 of the German Energy Economy Act (EnWG). Instead of prototypes, only production units are used. Communication takes place via the EEBUS standard.
Since January 1, 2024, German distribution system operators have been required to reduce the power consumption of controllable consumer devices (SteuVE) to as low as 4.2 kW when necessary to support the grid. Transmitting the continuously variable dimming commands required for this has so far posed a challenge for the energy industry. This is because a traditional broadcast control signal or a simple relay box that communicates on an on/off basis is only of limited use for what is known as “Limitation of Power Consumption” (LPC). “What’s needed is a continuous and bidirectional communication solution,” emphasizes Karen Schmid, Team Leader for CLS Products at PPC, the leading provider of Smart Meter Gateways (SMGW). “Such a solution must also be made available to the market quickly and in large quantities.” In a joint test, PPC and eSystems have now successfully implemented and put into operation the communication chain for an LPC use case.
Digital communication via the EEBUS standard allows control commands to be transmitted continuously and bidirectionally. In addition to power limiting, the “Monitoring of Power Consumption” (MPC) use case was also tested. MPC makes it possible to verify whether the power limitation was sufficient. The distribution system operator can make adjustments as needed. All devices are ready for series production and are already being rolled out. “We have demonstrated that digital §14a control can be implemented using production-ready products. This means that future-proof control solutions can be installed today. This is an enormously important boost for the market,” Karen Schmid continued.
The test at the eSystems site in Wendlingen involved an SMGW and a CLS gateway from PPC, as well as the ghostONE smart wallbox from eSystems. The SMGW received a dimming command from the aEMT backend, which the CLS gateway then forwarded to the wallbox. The wallbox then limited the charging power. Following a software update to the wallbox, the solution is now ready for field deployment.
“Our ghostONE is EEBUS-compatible and lays the foundation for a comprehensive solution for legally compliant dimming,” emphasizes Markus Zahner, eMobility Product Manager at eSystems. “We’re ready for Section 14a.” The Federal Network Agency cites the EEBUS standard as a means of implementing the requirements for controllable consumer devices. eSystems and PPC intend to continue collaborating in the future to further simplify and advance the implementation of Section 14a. Possible applications include, for example, CLS-compatible charging management as well as expanded standards for easier EEBUS commissioning and the use of the PPC solution “Control from the SMGW.”
