Grid level
Austria's electricity grid is divided into seven grid levels (Netzebenen), from extra-high voltage (level 1) to low voltage (level 7). The level of the connection determines, among other things, the grid fees.
What is a grid level?
In Austria the electricity grid is divided into seven grid levels, counted from the top. Level 1 is extra-high voltage at 380 and 220 kV, level 7 is low voltage at 400/230 V, where households and many smaller businesses are connected. In between are high voltage (level 3) and medium voltage (level 5). The even levels 2, 4 and 6 are the transformations between them.
The grid level of the connection determines the grid fees: they are highest at level 7, because the costs of the levels above are passed down proportionally. Businesses with a higher connection capacity are often connected at level 6 or 5.
What matters in practice
- the grid level usually appears on the grid bill and is part of the basic data of any storage planning
- energy and demand charges differ by grid level and network area
- changing the grid level, for example with a transformer station of your own, changes both costs and technical requirements
- for batteries and charging infrastructure, the capacity available at the existing connection can be the bottleneck
Practical example
A business at grid level 7 reaches the limit of its connection capacity with new charging points. Instead of reinforcing the connection or moving to a higher grid level, a battery can absorb the peaks. Which option costs less only becomes clear when grid costs, connection costs and the storage investment are compared.
The Speichercampus perspective
For Speichercampus, the grid level belongs with the load profile and the grid bill to the basic data, because it sets the framework for any storage solution.