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All about aFRR

Webinars / aFRR / Grid Balancing / Control Reserve

Deep dive aFRR

Thu., August 13 2020, 3 p.m. (UTC+2)

Balancing Services are reactive short-term means to level out frequency deviations in the power grid. Balancing Services (sometimes also called control reserve) is one out of many ancillary services that system operators have to provide a secure power supply.

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Knowledge / aFRR / Flexibility / Grid Balancing / Knowledge

What is aFRR (automatic frequency restoration reserve) and how does it work?

What is aFRR (automatic frequency restoration reserve) and how does it work?Definition

The automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve (aFRR), also known as secondary reserve, is a reserve in the power grid that helps to keep the grid frequency stable. To keep the frequency within certain thresholds, the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) activate balancing services like aFRR, which they acquire from Balancing Service Providers (BSPs). Countries differ in their specifications but after European harmonization of the balancing markets, BSPs need to ensure that they provide the reserve within 5 minutes (Full Activation Time). As the secondary reserve, aFRR replaces the FCR gradually after 30 seconds, the mFRR, the tertiary reserve, supports or partially substitutes the aFRR after 12.5 minutes.

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Delivery of aFRR balancing reserves
Energy Blog / aFRR / Control Reserve / FCR / Frequency Control / Grid Balancing

Opening the aFRR Market in Belgium – A unique and innovative 2 step auction model

When Next Kraftwerke expanded its operations to Belgium in 2014, one of its goals was to convince the transmission grid operator Elia to open its automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve (aFRR) market for all technologies. aFRR, also known as secondary reserve, has historically been provided by a handful of gas fired power plants operated by two or three companies.

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Pooled EV batteries to deliver control reserve to the electricity grid
Energy Blog / aFRR / Control Reserve / Electric Vehicles / Grid Balancing / Grid Stability

The (electric) engine is running – How to use EVs for grid balancing

After two years of development, in August 2020, Next Kraftwerke and Jedlix started offering secondary reserve power (aFRR) to the Dutch grid using a pool of electric vehicles (EVs). Nick Hubbers, Jedlix, and Elias De Keyser, Next Kraftwerke, talk about their ambitions, how they realized this project, and what they learned along the way on using electric vehicles to balance the grid. Fasten your seat belts and keep reading!

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Knowledge / aFRR / Control Reserve / European grid / FCR / Knowledge / mFRR

Balancing Services

What are Balancing Services?Definition

Balancing Services are reactive short-term means to level out frequency deviations in the power grid. Balancing Services (sometimes also called control reserve) is one out of many ancillary services that system operators have to provide a secure power supply. Balancing Services include Balancing Energy and Balancing Capacity . Balancing Energy means the energy which is used by system operators to perform the maintenance of the frequency and Balancing Capacity refers to a flexible capacity which the provider has agreed to keep available for a certain period in order to provide balancing energy. [1]

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