(Berlin/ Frankfurt am Main, 09.02.2023) Participating directly in the energy transition with photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, storage units and wallboxes can be a challenge for residents of apartment buildings: Here, a house connection is used jointly, via which around 25 to 30 kilowatts of power can be drawn or fed in. Charging one electric vehicle via a wallbox alone requires 11 to 22 kilowatts. If several vehicles are to be charged at the same time, the grid connection capacity must be expanded. Up to now, this has been done by reinforcing the existing house connection. In cases where this is not possible or only possible at great expense, there is now an alternative: an additional grid connection. The Network Technology and Operation Forum within VDE (VDE FNN) has now published what needs to be taken into account and what measures need to be taken to ensure that on-site safety is maintained.
VDE FNN Managing Director Heike Kerber emphasizes: "For the rapid ramp-up of heat pumps and charging facilities, smart solutions are required for the joint use of the existing power grid infrastructure. In apartment buildings, this primarily concerns the use of the shared grid connection. VDE FNN has now published a pragmatic implementation guide for this."
Safe implementation of multiple grid connections on one property
Generating systems, storage units or charging devices are generally connected to the power grid via the existing grid connection of the respective customer installation. Particularly in the case of multi-party buildings, the connection of additional systems to an existing grid connection can be very costly. In these cases, the connection can be made via an additional grid connection. In a new note, VDE FNN describes the technical and organizational measures for setting up multiple grid connections in a building or on a property. The aim is to clearly define which areas of the customer are supplied via which grid connection. This is particularly important, for example, in emergencies or in the event of faults. For installers in particular, VDE FNN Note offers numerous implementation examples, such as for buildings with charging equipment and photovoltaic systems, properties with charging equipment but without buildings, and multiple grid connections for several buildings with a common grounding system. The implementation guide is available on the website (in German).
