ACM: more favorable transmission tariffs for battery systems that reduce congestion
Battery systems create more flexibility on the grid, and help balance fluctuations in supply and demand for electricity. Batteries can also be used to relieve stress on the grid. Battery systems that help utilize the grid more efficiently should get a discount on their transmission tariffs. That is one of the conclusions of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in a follow-up study into transmission tariffs and energy storage.
Whether battery systems actually help relieve stress on the grid depends on the location and timing of when and where batteries are charged and discharged. Battery systems that are located close to wind turbines or solar farms are able to store the sustainably produced power locally, and feed it into the grid when there is more capacity. In that way, the battery system helps relieve the grid during peak hours, thereby reducing the need for expanding the grid’s capacity. This is different from battery systems that, for example, are located far away from production locations, and for which additional transmission capacity must be created. Lower transmission tariffs for battery systems should thus only be introduced if it is empirically demonstrated that investments are avoided, and costs are saved.
Under the National Grid Congestion Action Program (in Dutch: Landelijk Actieprogramma Netcongestie, or LAN), it has been agreed that the trade association of system operators Netbeheer Nederland (NBNL) will, in consultation with ACM, put forward a proposal for changing the grid tariffs for battery systems. In 2022, ACM also launched a study into the possibility of introducing ‘alternative access rights’. With such rights, users pay a lower tariff because they have fewer guarantees regarding available transmission capacity. Alternative access rights could be interesting for battery systems, since those systems are easily able to anticipate the situation on the grid. ACM will soon publish the main principles for introducing alternative access rights. Next to the study into alternative access rights, ACM has also launched a study into a broader review of the tariff structure. In this study, ACM will examine whether those that are connected can be stimulated through the tariffs to even out their usage of the grid more efficiently to prevent spikes during peak hours. This will also allow other grid users to save on their transmission tariffs if they relieve stress on the grid by utilizing it more efficiently.
See also
30-03-2023 Transport tariffs and electricity storage (in Dutch)
10-09-2021 ACM: transmission tariffs cannot be an impediment to the construction of power storages | ACM.nl