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Demand-oriented Trading – Flexibility Is the Trump Card

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Utilise and profit from plant flexibility

By the time the 2017 revisions to Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act were brought in – if not before – it was evident that only flexible plants have a promising future. As such, subsidies for making existing plants flexible will continue to be available through the flexibility premium. Meanwhile, plant operators have the option to apply for a ten-year extension to the duration of their subsidies (follow-up funding). 

The additional revenues that biogas plants can generate on the balancing energy market are still of interest. Nevertheless, for plants that have been made flexible, scheduling operations in order to optimise electricity prices is a significantly more lucrative and more sustainable business model. Furthermore, this business model is compatible with balancing energy trading – in fact, this can be a profitable combination. The flexibility premium for existing biogas plants and the flexibility top-up for new biogas plants also incentivises the construction of additional capacity in the form of larger gas storage facilities and gas engines. 

We offer plant operators an introduction to the flexible operation of their plant and support them in the daily operation of their plant. With individual schedules, additional revenues can be reliably achieved in marketing.

Demand-oriented trading

Flex Partner – full flexibility, shared revenues

As the operator of a bioenergy plant, you have the opportunity to generate revenues that exceed the market value by delaying power generation until electricity prices are higher. With Flex Partner services, we create customised trading schedules for any flexible biogas plant. We use a modelling and optimisation software to develop these schedules. These trading schedules always take into account the current price trend and the technical and operational restrictions of the plant in question. 

As a general rule, the greater the operational flexibility of the plant, the higher the revenue obtained on the market for the power it generates. With the option premium, plant operators also receive a fixed annual sum for the flexibility that their biogas plant provides – in addition to the tariff for the electricity from the direct marketing agreement. 

Flex Partner, for trading the flexibility of plants at times when electricity prices are high – our services:

  • Modelling the specific plant using an optimisation software, taking into account plant-specific parameters and restrictions (e.g. gas and heat storage facilities, efficiency, restrictions)
  • Cross-market revenue optimisation on the spot market (day-ahead and intraday) and the balancing energy markets 
  • Daily and intraday creation of automated, customised schedules 
  • Handling the schedule management and provision of balancing energy via remote control and monitoring of the plants
  • Management of the balancing group 
  • Monthly marketing report and transparent invoicing, without any hidden costs or reductions in remuneration

By having the option of adapting the schedule at any time in order to exploit the price movements on the short-term markets, the way the plant’s services are traded is always optimised, which enables us to maximise revenues. Of course, we agree all of the important parameters with the operator in advance – from the frequency of starts and stops to the minimum operating duration and fill level – and we ensure that they are adhered to. We use the balancing energy set to continuously collect data in real time – about aspects such as the current fill level of the gas storage facility – and we take this data into account when optimising the schedule.

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