{"id":9096,"date":"2024-09-09T10:12:17","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T08:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T16:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:38:35","slug":"primary-control-reserve-prl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/","title":{"rendered":"Primary Control Reserve (PRL)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>primary control reserve (PRL)<\/strong> plays a crucial role in the stability of European power grids by enabling rapid adjustments to frequency deviations, thus keeping the grid frequency constant at 50 Hertz.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Automatic-response-within-30-seconds\" >Automatic response within 30 seconds<\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Demand-assessment-via-ENTSO-E-approximately-3000-MW\" >Demand assessment via ENTSO-E: approximately 3,000 MW<\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Auction-procedure-for-primary-reserve\" >Auction procedure for primary reserve<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Weekly-Auction-on-regelleistungnet\" >Weekly Auction on regelleistung.net<\/a><\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Compensation-based-solely-on-the-service-price\" >Compensation based solely on the service price<\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-primary-control-reserve\" >Advantages and disadvantages of primary control reserve<\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#A-Growing-Role-for-Biogas-Storage-and-Power-to-Gas\" >A Growing Role for Biogas, Storage, and Power-to-Gas<\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Conclusion-the-fastest-form-of-balancing-power\" >Conclusion: the fastest form of balancing power<\/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\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQ\" >Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#What-is-primary-control-energy-PRL\" >What is primary control energy (PRL)?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#How-quickly-must-primary-control-energy-be-activated\" >How quickly must primary control energy be activated?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Who-is-eligible-to-provide-primary-control-energy\" >Who is eligible to provide primary control energy?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/m-n-o-p\/primary-control-reserve-prl\/#Compensation-based-solely-on-the-service-price-2\" >Compensation based solely on the service price<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Automatic-response-within-30-seconds\"><\/span>Automatic response within 30 seconds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Primary control reserve<\/strong> must be activated within 30 seconds to compensate for sudden frequency deviations. A frequency meter on the system continuously monitors the grid frequency and automatically adjusts the system&#8217;s output as soon as these deviations exceed the defined tolerance range. This rapid response is crucial for grid stability. For more details on other types of control reserve, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/q-r-s-t\/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\/q-r-s-t\/tertiary-control-power-trl\/\" title=\"Tertiary control power (TRL)\"><u>tertiary control power (TRL)<\/u><\/a>, please visit the corresponding entries.   <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Demand-assessment-via-ENTSO-E-approximately-3000-MW\"><\/span>Demand assessment via ENTSO-E: approximately 3,000 MW<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>primary control reserve requirement<\/strong> is determined within the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entsoe.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ENTSO-E\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>ENTSO-E<\/u><\/a> (&#8220;European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity&#8221;). It is assumed that, in the worst case, two large power plant blocks could fail simultaneously, resulting in a total requirement of around 3,000 MW. This amount is recalculated annually and distributed among the grid operators based on the previous year&#8217;s feed-in.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Auction-procedure-for-primary-reserve\"><\/span>Auction procedure for primary reserve<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An auction for PRL is held weekly, usually on Tuesdays, at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regelleistung.net\/de-de\/\" title=\"www.regelleistung.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>www.regelleistung.net<\/u><\/a>. Providers must conclude a framework agreement with their transmission system operator and prove the prequalification of their systems. The bids are sorted by price, and the contracts are awarded starting with the lowest prices until the required amount of PRL is reached. Further details on <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/q-r-s-t\/control-energy-stabilizing-the-power-grid-in-the-event-of-fluctuations\/\" title=\"Auction processes in the balancing power sector\"><u>auction processes in the area of control reserve<\/u><\/a> can be found in the <a href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wiki\/e-f-g-h\/epex-spot-intraday-market-electricity-spot-market-intraday-trading-explained-simply\/\" title=\"EPEX Spot Intraday Market\"><u>EPEX Spot Intraday Market<\/u><\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Weekly-Auction-on-regelleistungnet\"><\/span>Weekly Auction on regelleistung.net<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every week, usually on Tuesday, a PRL auction is held on <em>www.regelleistung.net<\/em>. Suppliers must enter into a framework agreement with their transmission system operator and provide proof of their facilities\u2019 prequalification. Bids are sorted by price, and contracts are awarded starting with the lowest prices until the required amount of PRL is reached.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Compensation-based-solely-on-the-service-price\"><\/span>Compensation based solely on the service price<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Payment for primary control energy (PRL)<\/strong> is based exclusively on a <strong>power price<\/strong>. Since the amounts of positive and negative power balance out on average, there is no additional energy charge, which reduces administrative costs and simplifies billing. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-primary-control-reserve\"><\/span>Advantages and disadvantages of primary control reserve<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Advantages:<\/strong> Response time within 30 seconds, significant importance for grid stability, and the ability to be powered by renewable energy sources such as <a title=\"battery storage\" href=\"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/bess-commercial-and-industrial-storage-solutions\/\"><u>battery storage<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Disadvantages:<\/strong> high demands on the technology used, infrastructure that can be costly in some cases, and the need for the participating facilities to be operational at all times.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A-Growing-Role-for-Biogas-Storage-and-Power-to-Gas\"><\/span>A Growing Role for Biogas, Storage, and Power-to-Gas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the primary reserve currently has the lowest cost share among the control reserve types, its importance is steadily increasing. The technological progress in biogas plants, battery storage and power-to-gas plants will further strengthen the role of PRL and contribute to improving grid stability. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion-the-fastest-form-of-balancing-power\"><\/span>Conclusion: the fastest form of balancing power<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Primary control power<\/strong> is crucial for <strong>maintaining a stable grid frequency<\/strong> and, consequently, for overall grid stability. Its rapid response time to frequency deviations makes it an indispensable form of energy. Ongoing technological developments will further increase the importance of primary control power in the energy supply.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQ\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-is-primary-control-energy-PRL\"><\/span>What is primary control energy (PRL)?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Primary control power is the fastest form of control power: It automatically compensates for frequency deviations in the power grid within 30 seconds and keeps the grid frequency stable at 50 hertz.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How-quickly-must-primary-control-energy-be-activated\"><\/span>How quickly must primary control energy be activated?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRL must be fully activated within 30 seconds as soon as a frequency deviation exceeds the permissible tolerance range.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who-is-eligible-to-provide-primary-control-energy\"><\/span>Who is eligible to provide primary control energy?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Suppliers must have a framework agreement with their transmission system operator and must provide evidence of their facility\u2019s technical prequalification\u2014such as power plants, battery storage systems, or virtual power plants.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Compensation-based-solely-on-the-service-price-2\"><\/span>Compensation based solely on the service price<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRL is compensated exclusively through a performance-based price, since positive and negative adjustment volumes balance each other out on average.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The primary control reserve (PRL) plays a crucial role in the stability of European power grids by enabling rapid adjustments to frequency deviations, thus keeping the grid frequency constant at 50 Hertz. Automatic response within 30 seconds Primary control reserve must be activated within 30 seconds to compensate for sudden frequency deviations. A frequency meter [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-m-n-o-p","category-wiki"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9096","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\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9096"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12718,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9096\/revisions\/12718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/be-storaged.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}