Home > Key Topics > Dynamic load management

Dynamic load management

Charge electric vehicles intelligently and reduce costs with a load management

Electromobility is on the rise worldwide. Lower CO2 emissions, falling costs in the long term or simply the enthusiasm for modern technology: these are also good reasons for business operators/companies to promote e-mobility. In addition to the many advantages, however, there are also new challenges. As a result, the power grid has to supply more and more connected consumers with energy, sometimes with very volatile demand. Expensive load peaks and network loads or even breakdowns can result. The solution? A load management system!

But how does it work in practice? When is load management necessary? How is dynamic load management different from static load management? What should be paid special attention to in dynamic load management? We answer that and more in this blog post.

Load Management: What is it and when will it be necessary?

If several electric vehicles are charged at the same time, the maximum power available at the site is usually exceeded. This can lead to expensive load peaks, network overloads or even blackouts. If the connection capacity is exceeded in the long term, a costly network expansion may be necessary.

To prevent this, a load management system is used. Load management (also called load balancing or load shifting in industrial processes) refers to the active control and regulation of power consumption at a mains connection. The aim is not to exceed the available power and to distribute the available power to the individual, interconnected plants.

Load management is usually required from two charging units. In the home, even a 22kW charging unit can lead to “flying” fuses. In addition, there is a load management in the combination of e.g. PV systems and battery storage with the charging infrastructure makes sense.

Dynamic load management vs. static load management

There are different types of load management: static and dynamic load management. These differ in the control of energy consumption.

Static load management

Static load management is the simpler but less flexible form of load management. Here, the maximum power requirement for all charging points is set once and the power is distributed (depending on demand) to the electric cars to be charged. The maximum power supply is not exceeded. If less electricity than usual is consumed throughout the building, however, the additional power released cannot be used flexibly to charge the electric vehicles.

Dynamic load management

In dynamic load management, the load at the connection point is continuously measured. Based on real-time data and taking into account the load profile of the building, the charging stations are controlled accordingly and the maximum available power is always provided. Dynamic load management takes into account day and seasonal fluctuations in energy consumption for many different consumers on site. If less power is used, the excess power can be flexibly used for faster charging of electric cars or shared between other charging stations. If less power is available, the charging power per vehicle is throttled so that the maximum connection power is not exceeded.

Grafische Darstellung der Auswirkung durch den Einsatz eines dynamischen Lastmanagements im Ladeprozess bei E-Fahrzeugen.Grafische Darstellung des Ladeprozesses bei E-Fahrzeugen ohne Lastmanagement.

Which load management suits you and your requirements?

The implementation of static load management is the most cost-effective option. However, compared to dynamic load management, it is less flexible, the power is evenly distributed among the charging stations. Unused energy cannot be used by other electricity consumers. It is especially suitable for companies or residential complexes with few electricity consumers, low fluctuations in power consumption and uniform charging power.

In dynamic load management, the overall implementation and investment costs are higher, since usually at least one additional electricity meter has to be installed. However, the performance is optimally utilized, as it can react flexibly to fluctuations in consumption. Unused service will be redistributed. It is particularly suitable for locations where many electric vehicles are to be charged at the same time and consumption fluctuations and time-dependent charging times are expected.

What criteria should dynamic load management meet?

When implementing a dynamic load management, a number of factors should be considered in advance. These include:

1

Technical requirements

First of all, a smart charging station is needed that can interact with a load management system and is compatible with other wall boxes. Common interfaces include OCPP and ModBus. To calculate the electricity, a calibrated meter is required, which can be set either by a smart meter – a smart current meter or a meter for a registering power measurement (RLM). It can detect the current load profile and measure the power consumption. It is also important to have software that maps all consumptions at a glance and with which charging processes can be easily controlled and billed. This can be a platform that acts as a control center and connects all charging stations together. Ideally, the charging infrastructure becomes an integral part of a holistic energy and building management.

2

Manufacturer independence

A key selection criterion is the manufacturer’s independence with regard to wall boxes and counters. There are several manufacturers of charging stations, wall boxes Co.whose communication protocols are not uniform. If cross-manufacturer load management is not available, a new suitable solution is needed for each location. For all involved, this is far from efficient and cost-saving. Vendor-independent solutions can be easily integrated into existing infrastructures and enable fast commissioning of charging points.

3

PV surplus charge

Electromobility is particularly climate-friendly when renewable energies, such as solar power, are used to charge the electric vehicles. If a photovoltaic system is available, a dynamic load management system is worth it, which also enables PV surplus charging in combination with bidirectional charging. Thus, the specially generated solar power can also be used for charging operations when it is not consumed in the building.

4

Modularly expandable

In some locations, the originally installed charging stations are no longer sufficient after some time, so that additional charging points have to be added afterwards. Here it is important that the initially implemented dynamic load management enables the connection of later added charging points. This is the only way to avoid having to rebuild the existing infrastructure at high cost.

Conclusion: Dynamic load management for a secure charging infrastructure

The implementation of load management ensures grid stability and enables efficient and cost-effective charging of electric vehicles at one location. In most cases, this can prevent a time-consuming and cost-intensive expansion of the grid connection. Especially in locations where many electric vehicles have to be charged at the same time and consumption fluctuations are commonplace, dynamic load management makes sense.

Are you interested in dynamic load management or have questions? Feel free to contact us or get to know our dynamic load management Lobas.

Dynamisches Lastmanagement von energielenker für Unternehmen und Kommunen.