Germany to align bidirectional charging with stationary storage

Germany aims to lift regulatory barriers that have so far limited bidirectional charging. The Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has published draft rules under the title “Market Integration of Storage and Charging Points” (MiSpeL), designed to expand market access for both stationary and mobile storage.

The framework would allow EV charging points with bidirectional capability to be treated as stationary storage within home energy management systems, with the same eligibility for grid feed-in and remuneration schemes. In practice, EVs with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability would obtain the same status as home batteries.

The changes are intended to make storage more flexible. In future, both stationary batteries and EVs could store electricity from the grid during periods of high renewable generation and low prices, then discharge during times of low renewable supply and high prices.

“With this decision we are laying the foundation for greater flexibility in small and large storage systems,” said Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency. “They will in future be able to participate actively in the electricity market while still serving to optimise self-consumption. The decision is also a milestone for bidirectional charging of electric vehicles.”

The draft also considers cases where vehicles may feed electricity back into the grid after charging at another location, such as a workplace. This imported energy will be accounted for separately in grid balancing.

Specifically, the rules address company car use cases, where EVs feed power drawn elsewhere – for example at the workplace – back into the grid. If the annual feed-in at a charging point exceeds the electricity charged at the same point, the surplus will be recorded as imported third-party electricity.

Importantly, the draft includes provisions ensuring that operators can still receive EEG subsidies for the renewable share of their grid feed-in and reduced EnFG levies on re-fed grid electricity, even when storage mixes renewable and grid power. Two options are proposed: a precise calculation method (“Abgrenzungsoption”), aimed at operators of large PV systems, and a simplified allocation (“Pauschaloption”) for smaller solar installations.

The Federal Network Agency will present the key points of the MiSpeL rules at a workshop on 1 October, inviting companies, grid operators, metering point operators and associations to participate in a consultation process.

bundesnetzagentur.de (in German)

This article was first published by Florian Treiß for electrive’s German edition