{"id":8809,"date":"2026-01-27T13:33:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T12:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:41:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:41:32","slug":"congestion-management-in-the-power-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"Congestion management in the power grid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Congestion management<\/strong> refers to all measures taken by grid operators to <strong>detect, avoid, or eliminate overloads in the power grid<\/strong>. Due to the increasing expansion of renewable energies, the decentralization of generation, and rising flexibility requirements, <strong>congestion management in the power grid<\/strong> is becoming increasingly important. It is a central element for a secure, stable, and efficient grid operation.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Definition-of-terms\" >Definition of terms<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Causes-of-grid-bottlenecks\" >Causes of grid bottlenecks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Forms-of-congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\" >Forms of congestion management in the power grid<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Technical-and-operational-measures\" >Technical and operational measures<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Role-of-grid-operators\" >Role of grid operators<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Relationship-with-market-mechanisms\" >Relationship with market mechanisms<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Relevance-for-companies\" >Relevance for companies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Importance-of-flexibility-and-storage\" >Importance of flexibility and storage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Distinction-from-related-terms\" >Distinction from related terms<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Definition-of-terms\"><\/span>Definition of terms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Congestion management includes <strong>grid-side and market-based interventions<\/strong> that serve to prevent overloading of lines or grid components. A grid bottleneck occurs when the available transport capacity of a grid element is not sufficient to safely transmit the planned power flows. <\/p>\n\n<p>The goal of congestion management is to ensure <strong>security of supply and grid stability<\/strong> at all times.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Causes-of-grid-bottlenecks\"><\/span>Causes of grid bottlenecks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Grid bottlenecks can arise for various reasons, including:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>high simultaneous feed-in of renewable energies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>regional imbalances between generation and consumption<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>limited grid capacities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>delayed grid expansion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>unplanned equipment failures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>In particular, the <strong>spatial separation of power generation and power consumption<\/strong> increases the demands on congestion management.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forms-of-congestion-management-in-the-power-grid\"><\/span>Forms of congestion management in the power grid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Congestion management can take place at various levels:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>preventively through forward-looking grid planning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>operationally through short-term interventions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>structurally through grid expansion and grid optimization<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Both <strong>technical measures<\/strong> and <strong>market-based instruments<\/strong> are used.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Technical-and-operational-measures\"><\/span>Technical and operational measures<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p>The central <strong>measures of congestion management<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adjustment of feed-in power<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Control of battery storage systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activation of flexible consumers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grid switching<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of automated control systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of <strong>Phase Shifting Transformers (PSTs)<\/strong> for targeted control of power flows in the transmission grid<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>In practice, congestion management is often implemented through procedures such as <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/redispatch-2-0\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/wiki\/q-r-s-t\/redispatch-2-0\/\" title=\"Redispatch 2.0\"><u>Redispatch 2.0<\/u><\/a>, in which plants are specifically ramped up or down.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Role-of-grid-operators\"><\/span>Role of grid operators<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Grid operators are responsible for the <strong>implementation of congestion management<\/strong>. This includes: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forecast of grid loads<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identification of critical grid states<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arrangement and coordination of measures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Both distribution grid operators and transmission grid operators &amp; control zones work closely together to control bottlenecks across grids.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relationship-with-market-mechanisms\"><\/span>Relationship with market mechanisms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Congestion management intervenes in situations where market-based processes alone are not sufficient. Electricity markets such as the Day-Ahead Market &amp; Spot Market or the <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/epex-spot-intraday-market-electricity-spot-market-intraday-trading-explained-simply\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/wiki\/e-f-g-h\/epex-spot-intraday-markt\/\" title=\"EPEX Spot Intraday market\"><u>EPEX Spot Intraday Market<\/u><\/a> do reflect supply and demand, but do not automatically take local grid restrictions into account. <\/p>\n\n<p>Therefore, congestion management complements market mechanisms such as the merit order principle with grid-technical control.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevance-for-companies\"><\/span>Relevance for companies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Companies are affected by congestion management if they:<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>operate their own generation plants<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>use battery storage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>use controllable loads<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>In such cases, feed-in or consumption can be adjusted temporarily. At the same time, the demands on transparency, forecast quality, and technical controllability increase, for example through <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/okean-energy-management-system\/\" title=\"Energy management systems (EMS)\"><u>Energy Management Systems (EMS)<\/u><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/energy-monitoring\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/leistungen\/energiemonitoring-fuer-unternehmen\/\" title=\"Energy monitoring &amp; KPIs (EnPI)\"><u>Energy Monitoring &amp; KPIs (EnPI)<\/u><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Importance-of-flexibility-and-storage\"><\/span>Importance of flexibility and storage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Flexibility is a <strong>central lever in congestion management<\/strong>. Energy storage and controllable loads enable: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>local relief of grids<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>temporal shifting of power flows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reduction of grid-side interventions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Therefore, there is a close relationship between congestion management and:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Grid-supportive storage control<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Load shifting through storage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Demand Side Management (DSM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Decentralized grid control with AI<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Distinction-from-related-terms\"><\/span>Distinction from related terms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Not to be confused with:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/control-energy-stabilizing-the-power-grid-in-the-event-of-fluctuations\/\" title=\"Control energy\"><u>Control energy<\/u><\/a>: short-term compensation of frequency deviations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/secondary-control-reserve-srl\/\" title=\"Secondary Control Reserve (SRL)\"><u>Secondary control power (SRL)<\/u><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/tertiary-control-power-trl\/\" title=\"Tertiary control power (TRL)\"><u>Tertiary control power (TRL)<\/u><\/a>: Sub-areas of control energy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grid fees and levies: Cost components of electricity supply<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Capacity market vs. energy market: market instruments for security of supply<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Congestion management in the power grid includes all measures to avoid and eliminate grid overloads and is a central instrument for ensuring security of supply. Causes of bottlenecks are mainly decentralized power generation, regional imbalances, and limited grid capacities. Grid operators use both technical and market-based measures, with procedures such as Redispatch 2.0 playing a central role. For companies with generation plants, storage, or flexible consumers, congestion management is becoming increasingly relevant, as flexibility and digital control can make an important contribution to local grid stabilization.   <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Please note that this wiki entry on intensive grid use is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. be.storaged GmbH assumes no guarantee for the completeness, accuracy and timeliness of the information in this entry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congestion management refers to all measures taken by grid operators to detect, avoid, or eliminate overloads in the power grid. Due to the increasing expansion of renewable energies, the decentralization of generation, and rising flexibility requirements, congestion management in the power grid is becoming increasingly important. It is a central element for a secure, stable, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-e-f-g-h","category-wiki"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8809"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9933,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8809\/revisions\/9933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}