“No one can control when the wind blows or the sun shines, or when energy is needed. The provision of frequency containment reserve is a key mechanism for ensuring grid stability in such an increasingly decentralized energy system,” says Philipp Schröder, CEO and co-founder of 1KOMMA5°. “With the approval, we are no longer just optimizing the self-consumption of solar power, trading electricity on the day-ahead and, more recently, intraday market, but are now also entering the fourth dimension, that of grid services, with Heartbeat AI.”
Decentralized energy systems replace large power plants
The European electricity grid operates at a target frequency of 50 Hz. Any deviation from this – upwards or downwards – signals an imbalance between electricity generation and consumption. The provision of frequency containment reserve intervenes particularly in the event of sudden deviations in the electricity grid in order to minimize fluctuations, avoid disturbances and ensure grid stability. As a rule, transmission system operators rely on reserve capacities that can dynamically feed energy into or withdraw energy from the grid, historically primarily from large power plants. The regulatory hurdles for smaller, decentralized energy systems in pools are high, which often leads to difficulties in approval, and their composition varies from country to country. However, they must guarantee the shortest possible response times and adhere to strict rules.
Heartbeat AI unlocks flexibility and stabilizes the grid in real time
The approval to provide frequency containment reserve now enables 1KOMMA5° to play a central role in grid stabilization in Sweden. Barbara Wittenberg, Chief Technology Officer at 1KOMMA5°, explains: “With our highly automated and fast-responding pool of batteries and other flexible, decentralized energy systems, we can create a double added value: On the one hand, the grid becomes more responsive, efficient and stable – an important step towards sustainable energy supply and the complete replacement of fossil power plants. On the other hand, we offer our customers further additional income through optimization via Heartbeat AI.”
Sascha Schnorbach, VP Development Heartbeat at 1KOMMA5°, adds: “Heartbeat AI supports the grid in real time, reacting to disturbances within just 3 seconds. Similar to intraday trading, the provision of frequency containment reserve can simply be uploaded as a software update in the future.”
1KOMMA5° has already installed over 300,000 controllable energy systems such as PV systems, energy storage units, heat pumps and wallboxes for customers worldwide. Heartbeat AI is the technological centerpiece of 1KOMMA5°, which was launched in 2022. The artificial intelligence currently optimizes the interaction of 40,000 decentralized energy systems worldwide.
