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All Charge Amps OCPP charging stations fully comply with the new §14a EnWG in Germany

23/04/24

 

What is Paragraph 14a EnWG?

Electrification is the most important part of a successful and sustainable energy transition. However, the increased demand for electricity puts even more effort on the grid. As more and more households install electric car chargers and other high-consumption devices, the grid risks being overloaded.

In Germany, the new regulation §14a (EnWG) (or Paragraph 14a or Section 14a) has been part of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) since the “Energy Industry Regulatory Restructuring Act” since 2011. As of 1 January 2024, the amendments to Section 14a of the Federal Network Agency have made it mandatory in Germany for newly installed EV charging stations to be controllable by the network operator. Therefore, if there is a risk of grid overload, network operators are now authorized, among other measures, to temporarily reduce the electricity consumption of newly installed private charging stations to up to 4.2 kW for the duration of the specific overload. In exchange for letting the grid take control, the owners of electric car charging stations can receive a lower grid fee. Read more here (in German).

 

Charge Amps solution: Charge Amps chargers feature OCPP support to facilitate grid control

Charge Amps’ cloud-managed solution is focused on OCPP, the international standard protocol for Electric Vehicle charging.

It enables seamless communication with the grid operator’s interface or through API integration with the Charge Point Management System (CPMS). This ensures efficient energy management and grid stability while providing our customers with convenience of socially responsible EV charging and stable user experience.

All Charge Amps chargers have cloud-based energy management, meaning any grid operator or controllable device can be connected via API or OCPP to control energy consumption. If the EV charging box goes offline, the default offline mode will automatically reduce the charging capacity to under 4.2 kW.

 

All Charge Amps chargers have cloud-based energy management, meaning any grid operator or controllable device can be connected via API or OCPP to control energy consumption

If the EV charging box goes offline, the default offline mode will automatically reduce the charging capacity to under 4.2 kW. 

 

Procedure for Charge Amps charging stations

Connect the charging station to the control signal from your grid operator using one of the following 3 methods:

  1. Relay circuit with connection to the grid operator’s control box or ripple control receiver.
  2. Grid operator’s OCPP and API interface.
  3. Hardware connection with a third-party load management system.

 

The Benefits

  • Charge Point Operators: Energy-cost savings as well as reliable, continuous Load Balancing and Energy Management through Charge Amps Cloud.
  • Electricians/Installers: Flexibility in technical implementation to take dynamic specifications into account.
  • End-users: Money savings from a reduction in grid charges. If a grid operator makes use of grid-oriented control and the electricity consumption of a charging station is temporarily regulated, end users will pay less money. Read more here (in German).