SMA Solar Technology AG has obtained the first German unit certificate for a grid-forming battery inverter with an immediate reserve. The certification makes use possible in projects with high and extra high voltage prior to the new reserve market in 2026.
SMA Solar Technology AG said that his sunny central storage battery inverter has become the first system in Germany to receive a unity certificate for the grid-forming mode with immediate reserve. The certification applies to connections with high and extra high-voltage connections and is based on standards VDE-Ar-N 4120 and VDE-Ar-N 4130.
With this approval, the inverter can be used in projects that are eligible for the new Momentane Reserve Market, planned to open in early 2026 through a tendering process. The Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has lifted an exemption from the tender requirement in September 2023. Clear technical standards for tenders are still being completed.
The VDE FNN published a advice book in June that defines detailed requirements for inverters, storage systems and customer installations. These include specifications for survival behavior and location times.
SMA said that the certification “makes use of scheduling possibilities possible today”, while certification under the FNN advice is still underway and is expected to be completed before the market launch in 2026.
Immediate reserve describes the immediate response of the generation of plants on voltage or frequency levels in the grid to stabilize the system at 50 Hertz. Traditionally supplied by fossil fuel plants, it is expected that it will increasingly come from renewable generators and battery storage.
“We are not waiting for new requirements; instead, we already enable our customers to implement grid-forming technologies in the interconnected schedule that can not only meet existing requirements, but can also offer advanced stability services, such as immediate reserve that is immediately effective,” said Daniel Duckklidz, Grid Stability Product Manager.
The VDE FNN advice also includes storage systems, verifiable reference units and customer installations, so that the final technical milestone is marked before the new tenders begin.
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