coneva GmbH has successfully integrated its EMS into the CLS solutions offered by Power Plus Communications AG of Mannheim. This creates a digital grid connection comprising SMGW and EMS for the management of controllable loads and prosumers.
Mannheim / Munich, May 15, 2023: In accordance with the law on relaunching the digitalization of the energy transition, PPC and coneva, a Munich-based technology service provider for decentralized energy management, are demonstrating the successful integration of energy management systems into the smart metering system. The partners are thereby underscoring the importance of the smart meter gateway as the key to the grid-friendly integration of decentralized renewable energy systems and controllable consumers. coneva uses PPC’s CLS gateway and the CLS Stack from the PPC CLS solution for this purpose. Grid operators, energy utilities, and end customers all benefit directly from the resulting digital grid connection.
The coneva energy management solution, which holistically optimizes systems such as PV installations, charging stations, battery storage, and heat pumps—thereby generating added value for Pros, Flex users, and Consumers alike—can now be made available via a secure and tested communication interface to the smart grid. Thanks to the standardized CLS interface in combination with the smart meter gateway, there is no need for additional local communication technology. The CLS interface thus serves as an enabler for various business models in energy infrastructure and trading platforms. Grid operators can respond to grid bottlenecks and access controllable loads. Electricity suppliers can leverage the flexibility potential of charging stations, heat pumps, and storage systems through dynamic electricity rates, thereby generating cost savings for their customers.
With PPC’s CLS platform, technology providers and users gain access to all the functions of the digitized energy world, enabling them to easily tap into value-added potential—both locally in the field and centrally in the backend. Together, coneva and PPC have established the connection between energy management and the backend via the smart metering system and successfully tested data exchange. As part of this process, the coneva EMS was integrated directly into the PPC CLS gateway.
As part of this collaboration, the coneva EMS was integrated into the CLS gateway as a software component. It utilizes PPC’s CLS stack via an internal device interface (see Figure 1). This allows the EMS to communicate directly through the iMSys infrastructure all the way to the backend—without requiring any adjustments to its functionality. As an edge computing device, the CLS Gateway has sufficient resources to support the installation of the EMS in a Docker environment. This allows coneva to remain flexible in the further functional development of its own EMS. As a result, innovative business models can continue to be developed and offered on the existing, secure infrastructure in the future.
“This allows us to lay a solid foundation for interoperable energy-sector networking in terms of the capabilities of the CLS interface,” said Karen Schmid, Senior Product Manager for CLS Solutions at PPC. “We’re looking ahead and have a clear focus on interoperable and integrated solutions for current challenges. We’re very excited to be leading the market together with coneva through this flagship integration and to demonstrate today what the future of energy management will look like.”
“With our energy management system, we have the capability to holistically optimize relevant devices located downstream of the grid connection point. Given the diversity of energy-related use cases and stakeholders, we view the CLS interface as an ideal hub for orchestrating and bringing together this diversity at the grid connection point. That’s why we’re very pleased to have taken this first major step toward enabling end customers to actively participate in the energy transition,” said Georg Völkl, Product Owner at coneva.
