At the TEAG Thüringer Energie AG campus in Erfurt, the subsidiary Thüringer Mess- und Zählerwesen Service GmbH (TMZ) is testing innovative solutions for energy industry applications. First and foremost, the intelligent metering system for grid-supporting load and feed-in management and control in the smart grid is being put through its paces there. For the implementation, the full-service provider in the field of metering relies on technology and expertise from PPC and Robotron Datenbank-Software GmbH, among others. The Smart Meter Gateway and the CLS Gateway from PPC, including the Robotron Communication Server on Edge (RCSoE), are used for the communication connection of the charging station. Various components of the Robotron IoTHub4Utillities and the gateway administration software from Robotron are also in use.
First charging station in operation
In mid-April, the first charging station from the manufacturer ABL was successfully connected to a smart metering system as part of the "implementation of smart system management" project on the campus parking lot. The charging station communicates with the backend infrastructure via the secure CLS channel of the smart meter gateway. The Robotron software RCSoE was implemented on the CLS hardware platform from PPC for this purpose. This handles the bidirectional communication between the charging pole and the backend system for intelligent control.
Jörn Lutze, Managing Director of TMZ: "Technically, this creates the basis for harmonizing the requirements of the digitalization of the energy transition and the expansion of electromobility in a grid-friendly and future-oriented manner. For example, charging processes for electric cars can take place at times when electricity is very low in price if a variable tariff is used. At the same time, this reduces the load on the electricity grid. Both electric vehicle users and grid operators benefit." The charging station is used intensively by TEAG employees. Further charging stations will follow in the course of the year.
Ingo Schönberg, CEO of PPC, is satisfied: "As an interface between sustainable electromobility and the energy industry, our smart meter gateway has once again proven its interoperability and practicality in Erfurt."
Dr. Christian Hofmann, Head of Metering at Robotron, adds: "The solution created on the campus will enable further added value in the long term in relation to charging infrastructure using the secure infrastructure of the smart meter gateway. This will enable us to make a significant contribution to mobility in the city of tomorrow."
OCPP in use
The partners rely on the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) for the technical connection of the charging station. This manufacturer-neutral and license-free protocol has already established an international standard for charging electric cars. In contrast to proprietary protocols, OCPP offers numerous advantages in the comprehensive communication integration of charging technology.
"We are delighted that, together with PPC and Robotron, we have implemented the connection of a charging station via the CLS channel of the intelligent metering system using OCPP for the first time and can thus demonstrate a practical solution for future-proof charging infrastructure," explains Sebastian Gruner, Head of Metering Point Control at TMZ.
The solution enables TMZ to provide all relevant system data for further evaluation. For example, the data can be continuously compared with the current grid status values in the backend in order to obtain information about the utilization of the distribution grids. Only in this way can loads such as electric cars be controlled in a targeted manner in order to keep the electricity grid stable. With the right use of the potential, electric cars could serve as flexible electricity storage units in the future.
