Power guzzler heat pump: Federal Network Agency warns of grid collapse

Heat pumps and electric cars should help the climate a good step further. Those who no longer have to heat with gas and can do without petrol or diesel also make themselves less dependent on price increases. But there is a nasty surprise.

Throttling for power consumption: E-cars and heat pumps could overwhelm the grid

Because that is exactly what the federal government should plan. The reason: special heat pumps and e-cars as new electricity consumers bring one much higher need with itself than was previously the case. All the more, the more citizens switch and buy an electric car with a private charging station or swap the old heating system for a heat pump.

“If a large number of new heat pumps and charging stations continue to be installed, then Congestion problems and local power outages in the distribution network to be feared if we don’t act,” warns Klaus Müller, head of the Federal Network Agency in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper (FAS, via time). Especially on the last mile, in the low-voltage local networks, Müller expects problems when the load increases sharply.

A possible solution to the problem would be to expand the local power grids more quickly. However, this is likely to fail due to the slow approval process, which the FAS says often takes several years. Instead, the Federal Network Agency plans in a key issues paper to regulate the flow of electricity at peak times. In plain language, this means that if too much electricity is required at the same time, the e-car charging stations and heat pumps are throttled.

Minimum supply of electricity should always be guaranteed

The plans of the Federal Network Agency should apply from January 1, 2024. Then consumption could be regulated down in critical situations. However, complete shutdowns are not planned. “We want one Minimum supply at all times guarantee,” according to the authority.

A balcony power plant only helps to a limited extent in the event of a power failure, but can save you costs:

For private whale boxes, this means: During rationing, there should be enough electricity to run an electric car for three hours Range of 50 km to supply. Things are looking better for heat pumps: According to the FAS, “almost trouble-free continued operation” should be possible with a “large number of heat pumps” despite throttling.