Installers, manufacturers, scientists and users of the Smarter E Europe event – held last week in Munich, Germany – discussed PV Home Storage, Energy Management Systems (EMS) and important challenges in the implementation of the new solar provisions of Germany.
PV -Magazine Organized this year the focus event during the Smarter E Europe 2025 Trade Show in Munich, Germany. More than 400 people present from the installation sector, production, academic world and end users have spent two hours discussing current developments to optimize the use of solar energy.
The discussion was aimed at Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS), battery storage and new legal requirements of section 14A from the Energy Industry Act (ENWG) to the voluntary shift to zero feed-in for existing systems during negative electricity prices, extension of the financing period and direct marketing models for small systems. Speakers also investigated prediction -based charging, heat pump control and cyber security in -depth.
To kick things off, Thomas Haupt, a research officer at the Ansbach University of Applied Sciences. The tool is intended to clarify the differences between systems, such as self-consumption optimization, interfaces for heat pumps and verifiability via weather forecasts. A dozen manufacturers lived and answered questions from moderator Michael Fuhs and the public: who can do what?
Another focus was the new Section 14A of the ENWG. Frank Borchardt, senior project manager at VDE FNN, outlined the installation requirements that installers should consider. Uncertainty arose during the conversion of the Metergabinet. To tackle this, VDE FNN has created a guideline to clarify where and how much room to leave for operating boxes and other components. It became clear that the need for practical information and clear recommendations remains high.
Smart heat pumps
Markus Große Gorgemann from Energielenker and Marc France from Viessmann Climate Solutions discussed integration of heat pumps in energy management. Both emphasized the potential of intelligent checks to increase self -consumption and to extend the life of the device. They emphasized the Eebus interface, which makes more than simple on/off -switch, such as flexible stream modulation -a function that only develops a few Hems providers for selected manufacturers of heat pump manufacturers.
The economic perspective was also tackled. Cornelia Lichner, editor at PV -Magazineassessed changes made by the Solar Peak Act and evaluated whether operators from existing systems must switch to zero entry when the electricity prices are negative and extend their subsidy periods. In short: yes, it can be worthwhile, but operators must take into account the feed-in tariff level, the size of the battery storage system and other system parameters before they switch. Johannes Weniger, a scientist at HTW Berlin, presented findings about electricity storage, aimed at the benefits of forecast -based charging. This method takes weather forecasts and typical consumption profiles into account, which shifting charging to the afternoon to prevent peak times and protect the battery.
In the following discussion, Christian Chudoba (Lumenaza) and Felix Dembski (Sonnen) showed opportunities for direct marketing of small -scale systems. Although the process remains bureaucratic and technically challenging, new models such as the simplified flat-rate model of the Federal Network Agency to simplify things. With this model, storage systems of the grid can charge without losing the EEG compensation for green electricity and works without complex measuring models, which depend on cooperative grid operators.
The last discussion was aimed at IT security. Sonna Barry from Security Service Provider Secida, Frank Borchardt and Marian Willuhn van van PV -Magazine Discussed current cyber security risks and requirements for inverters and energy management systems. As remote control increases via cloud solutions and the internet, the need for robust security concepts grows, in particular with regard to potential attack surfaces in decentralized energy systems.
The event emphasized a strong interest in the market for home storage, energy management and legal framework markets. The exchange between practitioners, researchers and professionals in the industry remains crucial.
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