Energy management from sun2wheel and convoltas shields against negative feed-in tariffs
Kriens/Immensee - Starting next year, grid operators will be able to pass on negative prices for solar power to electricity producers. Sun2wheel from Kriens and the Immensee-based convoltas have therefore expanded their Profit-Plus system to include a protection function against negative market prices.
Sun2wheel AG and its partner firm convoltas AG want to shield their customers from the negative impacts of a new compensation logic for solar power. Starting in 2027, grid operators will be able to pass on negative feed-in tariffs to operators of photovoltaic (PV) systems, as the developer of energy management systems and the energy general contractor explain in a joint statement. Such tariffs will apply when the supply of solar power significantly exceeds demand on sunny days. As such, the timing of feed-in is set to become «a relevant factor in system operation» for solar energy system operators, the statement explains further.
Sun2wheel and convoltas are seeking to allow plant operators to avoid negative feed-in tariffs of this kind. To this end, the two companies, based in Kriens in the canton of Lucerne and Immensee in the canton of Schwyz, respectively, have expanded their Profit-Plus system by adding a corresponding protection function. This adjusts the feed-in from integrated PV systems in the Profit-Plus virtual power plant to the market situation. If negative tariffs are set to occur imminently, the feed-in is temporarily reduced. The function is free for new and existing Profit-Plus customers and is activated automatically.
«In future, a PV system needs more than an inverter and a meter», comments Sandro Schopfer, CEO and co-founder of sun2wheel, adding that: «It needs a digital operating system that recognizes when feed-in makes sense and when flexibility creates more value».
