Flexibility and grid codes
Virtual power plants, peak shaving, demand response, battery storage, frequency response and grid codes.
Grid rules and flexibility markets decide what a site must measure, how fast, and who receives the data.
Start with what a virtual power plant is, then read the rules for your country: G99 in Great Britain or Section 14a in Germany.
Flexibility
13 guides · about 159 minutes
- What is a virtual power plant? A virtual power plant (VPP) pools batteries, generators and flexible loads on many sites into one unit an aggregator dispatches. How it works and what it sells. 13 min
- What is demand side response (DSR)? Services, payments and measurement Demand side response pays a site to change its electricity use when the grid needs it. The GB, Irish and EU routes, which loads can flex, and how delivery is measured. 14 min
- What is peak shaving? Peak shaving vs load shifting Peak shaving cuts the highest interval demand; load shifting moves kWh to cheaper hours. Demand charges, demand response, load levelling and a battery example. 16 min
- EVs as grid assets: V1G, V2G, V2H and V2B V1G, V2G, vehicle-to-home and building: power levels, standards, connection rules, a worked headroom example and site measurement needs. 8 min
- OCPP for EV charging networks OCPP is the open protocol between EV chargers and their management system. OCPP 1.6 vs 2.0.1 vs 2.1, security profiles, charging profiles and fallback limits. 11 min
- What is dynamic load management for EV charging? Dynamic load management shares a site's spare connection capacity between EV chargers. Static vs dynamic, the 6 A floor, phases, fallbacks and a worked example. 11 min
- IoT in demand response: signals, control and verification How a site receives a demand response instruction, changes its load safely and proves what it delivered, and what metering and control each step needs. 12 min
- Demand response baselines and measurement Measure demand response: DFS P376 and self-nominated baselines, capped same-day adjustment, baseline accuracy and evidence of delivery. 12 min
- What is dynamic response? Dynamic frequency response explained Dynamic response changes power continuously with grid frequency. NESO's Dynamic Containment, Moderation and Regulation compared, and the DC curve for a battery. 14 min
- What is FCAS? Australian frequency services and measurement FCAS are the reserves AEMO buys to hold NEM frequency near 50 Hz. The ten FCAS markets, how they are paid, MASS measurement rules, sign conventions and droop. 16 min
- BESS control: BMS, EMS and PCS explained In a BESS the BMS protects the cells, the PCS converts DC to AC and the EMS decides when to charge and discharge. Who owns each limit, and the data to read. 11 min
- BESS control: verify commands and the asset response Verify battery commands from request to metered response: clock synchronisation, a 500 kW example, expiry handling and commissioning tests. 11 min
- Local control: interlocks and a failure matrix Plan local gateway control: authority, interlocks, lost links, stale data, timeouts, restarts and tests before enabling automation. 10 min
Grid connection rules
9 guides · about 115 minutes
- UK G99 grid connection requirements G99 covers GB generation and storage above 16 A per phase: Types A to D, the DNO application process, protection settings, storage rules and G100 export limits. 15 min
- Ireland RESS 6: project monitoring and auction dates Current RESS 6 auction dates, the roles of metering and operational monitoring, and a practical evidence plan for Irish wind, solar and hybrid projects. 7 min
- Spain: independent aggregation and demand response What Royal Decree 88/2026 changes for independent aggregation in Spain, which implementation steps still matter, and the site data needed for demand response. 7 min
- France NEBCO: demand flexibility and load shifting How France's NEBCO rules value demand reduction, anticipation and deferred consumption, and the metering, baseline and control records a flexible site needs. 9 min
- Section 14a EnWG: controllable devices and network charges §14a EnWG since 2024: new heat pumps, wallboxes and batteries over 4.2 kW accept DSO control, never below 4.2 kW. Modules 1 to 3 and the control box. 13 min
- VDE-AR-N 4110: medium-voltage connection rules explained VDE-AR-N 4110:2023-09 is the German medium-voltage connection rule: scope, 4105 or 4110, unit and plant certificates, reactive power and commissioning. 14 min
- Dutch Realtime Interface (RTI) for generation above 1 MW Dutch RTI connections: customer endpoint duties, setpoints, lost-link behaviour and the boundary with plant control and site monitoring. 11 min
- Renewable energy grid integration and stability How solar and wind affect grid stability: voltage rise, inertia and RoCoF, system strength, ride-through, the fix for each, and GB, Irish and Australian events. 21 min
- What is a microgrid? Components, types and control A microgrid is a local group of loads, generation and storage that runs with the grid or as an island. Its components, types and controller, and how it islands. 18 min
More in Flexibility and grid codes
- Ireland demand side units: monitoring and system services evidenceIreland Demand Side Unit thresholds, testing, live signals and performance evidence for industrial sites, generators, batteries and aggregated demand response.
- Ireland SRESS: small-scale solar and wind project monitoringIreland's SRESS export tariff: current project sizes, community and SME rates, tariff review, connection evidence and an operational monitoring plan.
- Italy CEI 0-16 and CEI 0-21: grid-connection monitoringPlan operational monitoring around Italy's current LV and MV grid-connection rules without replacing certified protection, DSO control or metering.
- Italy TIDE: monitoring distributed flexibilityHow Italy's TIDE consolidation phase separates BRP and BSP roles, uses UVAN and UVAZ aggregation, and defines baseline and evidence requirements.
- Italy: CER renewable energy communities and shared self-consumptionItaly's CER/CACER rules: eligible plants, hourly shared energy, tariffs and 2026 PNRR milestones. See what monitoring can and cannot prove for GSE settlement.
- Spain SRAD: participation and response verificationHow Spain's current P.O. 7.5 governs SRAD participation, activation, telemetry and settlement, and which independent-aggregation rules remain pending.
- VDE-AR-N 4105: current edition, key requirements and monitoringVDE-AR-N 4105:2026-03 is the current edition, published 27 February 2026: scope, the 800 VA and 30 kVA limits, NA protection settings and changes from 2018.
Calculators
All calculators- Load factor Check how evenly a site uses its peak demand over a billing or reporting period.
- Electricity cost Estimate an electricity bill with energy, demand and fixed charges shown separately.
- Interval demand Turn the energy recorded in one demand interval into average demand in kW.
- EV charging capacity See how many EV chargers a site can run at once, interval by interval, within its import limit.
- Demand response event Measure the reduction delivered in a demand response event, any shortfall, and the rebound afterwards.
- kW to kWh Convert kW to kWh for a running time, or kWh back to average kW, with the cost of running.
- Appliance energy See what a fridge, heater or other appliance uses and costs each year.
- Battery runtime Calculate energy above reserve and runtime, with discharge losses and the inverter power limit.
- Solar PV generation Model monthly solar generation from historical weather and your array layout.
- PV string sizing Check temperature-corrected module voltage against inverter limits, and parallel-string current against one tracker’s ratings.
- Solar self-consumption Balance paired PV and load readings interval by interval to find direct solar use, grid imports and exports.
- Solar payback Compare solar investment, fixed tariffs, self-consumption and degradation using transparent annual cash flows.
- Battery charge time Allow for a running DC load, the battery charge limit and extra time at the top of charge.
- EV charging time Find the limiting power and compare charging times without assuming peak power lasts for the whole session.
- Battery LCOS Separate storage ownership cost from charging electricity and compare them per delivered kWh.
EpiSensor products
Preparing a site for a flexibility service?
Tell System Builder which assets you want to control or measure. It maps them to demand response and metering hardware.