
New ‘Nutzen statt Abregeln’ Initiative Puts Excess Renewable Energy to Work with First PtH Unit ‘Karoline’
(IN BRIEF) The Power-to-Heat unit “Karoline” has become the first participant in the newly launched “Nutzen statt Abregeln” program under §13k of the Energy Industry Act. This initiative, designed to minimize renewable energy curtailment and reduce redispatch costs, incentivizes the use of excess electricity in areas with a surplus of green power. Transmission system operator 50Hertz and urban energy supplier Hamburger Energiewerke GmbH have signed a contract to put surplus electricity to work by powering the “Karoline” unit. Activated on 5 March 2025, the unit successfully converted 15 MWh of renewable surplus into green heat. Located in Hamburg’s Karolinen quarter, this 20-MW prequalified unit is part of a broader strategy to relieve grid congestion in designated relief regions. The project, which involves a network of support facilities including those operated by TenneT, is expected to save approximately 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, cut curtailment by 25 GWh annually, and lower redispatch costs by around €800,000 per year. Over the coming year, additional units in the Power-to-Heat, electrolyser, and high-capacity heat pump segments will join this initiative, which is set for a two-year trial phase to refine operational and regulatory models for improved grid stability and renewable energy utilization.
(PRESS RELEASE) BERLIN, 17-Mar-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The new Power-to-Heat unit, named “Karoline,” marks the inaugural participant in the recently introduced instrument under §13k of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), known as “Nutzen statt Abregeln” (Use instead of curtail). In a strategic move to combat grid congestion and maximize renewable energy utilization, transmission system operator 50Hertz and urban energy provider Hamburger Energiewerke GmbH have signed a contract to channel excess electricity into productive use.
The instrument was established last year with the goal of reducing the frequency and cost of renewable energy curtailment. As renewable energy production—especially from wind power—has surged, grid congestion has become a recurring challenge, with surplus electricity often going to waste. “Nutzen statt Abregeln” aims to create more favorable conditions by incentivizing increased local electricity consumption in areas where green power is abundant, thereby easing grid congestion and lowering redispatch expenses.
Recognizing the potential in designated “relief regions,” where renewable energy curtailment has historically been high, transmission system operators 50Hertz and TenneT have allowed operators of demand-side facilities such as Power-to-Heat units, electricity storage systems, electrolysers, and high-capacity heat pumps to prequalify for the §13k EnWG scheme. In times of impending grid overload, these facilities are activated to absorb the excess energy, offering participants a benefit in the form of reduced electricity costs—currently set at 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
On 1 March 2025, the first contract under this new mechanism was finalized between 50Hertz and Hamburger Energiewerke GmbH, making the Power-to-Heat unit “Karoline” the first to join the “Nutzen statt Abregeln” initiative. Shortly thereafter, on 5 March at 9 am, the unit was activated and successfully converted 15 megawatt-hours (MWh) of surplus renewable energy into green heat.
Located in Hamburg’s Karolinen quarter, the prequalified 20-MW PtH unit “Karoline” is set to play a crucial role during the heating season by mitigating grid congestion and ensuring efficient use of renewable energy. Originally commissioned in 2018 as a backup for Hamburg’s district heating system, this 45-MW unit is now being deployed commercially during the test phase through a close partnership between the unit’s operators and the distribution and transmission system teams. Its operation is expected to save approximately 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually—considering Germany’s average CO₂ emissions per capita are around 10.3 tonnes—and reduce renewable energy curtailment by up to 25 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year. Moreover, “Karoline” is anticipated to lower redispatch costs, yielding annual savings of roughly €800,000.
Looking ahead, the next unit to be integrated into the §13k test phase is already preparing for activation in one of TenneT’s six designated relief regions. Throughout this year, additional units from the Power-to-Heat, electrolyser, and high-capacity heat pump sectors are expected to join the initiative.
The new “Nutzen statt Abregeln” instrument under §13k of the EnWG will undergo a two-year test phase, during which operational processes and regulatory frameworks will be evaluated. As the program scales up, the insights gained from this trial are expected to inform the final design of the target model, ultimately contributing to more efficient renewable energy use and enhanced grid stability.
More information about the instrument can be found on Netztransparenz.de: Use instead of curtail
About 50Hertz
50Hertz operates the electricity transmission system in the north and east of Germany, which it expands as needed for the energy transition. Our extra high voltage grid has an electrical circuit length of more than 10,000 kilometres, or the distance between Berlin and Rio de Janeiro. The 50Hertz control area covers Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, as well as the city states of Berlin and Hamburg. Within these regions, 50Hertz and its around 2,100 employees ensure that 18 million people are supplied with electricity around the clock. 50Hertz is a forerunner in the field of secure integration of renewable energy. In our grid area, we want to integrate 100 percent renewable energies securely into the grid and system by 2032 – calculated over the year. That is how we supply affordable energy for a strong economy. The shareholders of 50Hertz are the Belgian holding Elia Group (80 percent), which is listed on the stock exchange, and the KfW bank group with 20 percent. As a European TSO, 50Hertz is a member of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).
About TenneT
TenneT Germany is the largest transmission grid operator in Germany (based on grid length as of 31 December 2024). The company operates critical infrastructure that secures access to a reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity supply. TenneT Germany has over 5,000 employees (internal and external) and is one of the largest investors in electricity grids on land and at sea in Germany. Located at the Northwest European energy crossroads, TenneT Germany connects: North and South. Offshore and Onshore. Germany and Europe. Its growth is driven by the rapidly evolving electricity demand that requires a flexible and growing grid architecture. TenneT Germany is part of TenneT Group, the European leader in cross-border grid development and pioneer in linking mainland Europe to one of the world’s largest renewable energy sources, the North Sea.
Media Contacts:
50Hertz Transmission GmbH
Katrin Dietl
Tel: +49 (30) 5150 4277
email: katrin.dietl@50hertz.com
TenneT TSO GmbH
Maria-Elena Richter
Tel: +49 (921) 507405874
email: maria-elena.richter@tennet.eu
SOURCE: 50Hertz
MORE ON 50HERTZ, ETC.:
- Netmore and Zenze Partner to Deploy LoRaWAN® Networks for Cargo and Asset Monitoring at Ports and Terminals Worldwide
- Rise Point Capital: Co-investing with Independent Sponsors to Unlock International Investment Opportunities
- Netmore Launches Metering-as-a-Service to Accelerate Smart Metering for Water and Gas Utilities
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that a share transaction was made by a Non-Executive Director of the Company with class B shares
- La Ballata del Trasimeno: Il Mediometraggio si Trasforma in Mini Serie
- Digi Communications NV Announces Availability of 2024 Preliminary Financial Report
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the recent evolution and performance of the Company’s subsidiary in Spain
- BevZero Equipment Sales and Distribution Enhances Dealcoholization Capabilities with New ClearAlc 300 l/h Demonstration Unit in Spain Facility
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the presentation of the 2024 Preliminary Financial Results
- Reuters webinar: Omnibus regulation Reuters post-analysis
- Patients as Partners® Europe Launches the 9th Annual Event with 2025 Keynotes, Featured Speakers and Topics
- eVTOLUTION: Pioneering the Future of Urban Air Mobility
- Reuters webinar: Effective Sustainability Data Governance
- Las acusaciones de fraude contra Ricardo Salinas no son nuevas: una perspectiva histórica sobre los problemas legales del multimillonario
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces the release of the Financial Calendar for 2025
- USA Court Lambasts Ricardo Salinas Pliego For Contempt Of Court Order
- 3D Electronics: A New Frontier of Product Differentiation, Thinks IDTechEx
- Ringier Axel Springer Polska Faces Lawsuit for Over PLN 54 million
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the report on corporate income tax information for the financial year ending December 31, 2023
- Unlocking the Multi-Million-Dollar Opportunities in Quantum Computing
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces the Conclusion of Facilities Agreements by Companies within Digi Group
- The Hidden Gem of Deep Plane Facelifts
- KAZANU: Redefining Naturist Hospitality in Saint Martin ↗️
- New IDTechEx Report Predicts Regulatory Shifts Will Transform the Electric Light Commercial Vehicle Market
- Almost 1 in 4 Planes Sold in 2045 to be Battery Electric, Finds IDTechEx Sustainable Aviation Market Report
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the release of Q3 2024 financial results
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the presentation of the Q3 2024 Financial Results
- Pilot and Electriq Global announce collaboration to explore deployment of proprietary hydrogen transport, storage and power generation technology
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding by its subsidiary in Romania
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that the Company’s Portuguese subsidiary finalised the transaction with LORCA JVCO Limited
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that the Portuguese Competition Authority has granted clearance for the share purchase agreement concluded by the Company’s subsidiary in Portugal
- OMRON Healthcare introduceert nieuwe bloeddrukmeters met AI-aangedreven AFib-detectietechnologie; lancering in Europa september 2024
- OMRON Healthcare dévoile de nouveaux tensiomètres dotés d’une technologie de détection de la fibrillation auriculaire alimentée par l’IA, lancés en Europe en septembre 2024
- OMRON Healthcare presenta i nuovi misuratori della pressione sanguigna con tecnologia di rilevamento della fibrillazione atriale (AFib) basata sull’IA, in arrivo in Europa a settembre 2024
- OMRON Healthcare presenta los nuevos tensiómetros con tecnología de detección de fibrilación auricular (FA) e inteligencia artificial (IA), que se lanzarán en Europa en septiembre de 2024
- Alegerile din Moldova din 2024: O Bătălie pentru Democrație Împotriva Dezinformării
- Northcrest Developments launches design competition to reimagine 2-km former airport Runway into a vibrant pedestrianized corridor, shaping a new era of placemaking on an international scale
- The Road to Sustainable Electric Motors for EVs: IDTechEx Analyzes Key Factors
- Infrared Technology Breakthroughs Paving the Way for a US$500 Million Market, Says IDTechEx Report
- MegaFair Revolutionizes the iGaming Industry with Skill-Based Games
- European Commission Evaluates Poland’s Media Adherence to the Right to be Forgotten
- Global Race for Autonomous Trucks: Europe a Critical Region Transport Transformation
- Digi Communications N.V. confirms the full redemption of €450,000,000 Senior Secured Notes
- AT&T Obtiene Sentencia Contra Grupo Salinas Telecom, Propiedad de Ricardo Salinas, Sus Abogados se Retiran Mientras Él Mueve Activos Fuera de EE.UU. para Evitar Pagar la Sentencia
- Global Outlook for the Challenging Autonomous Bus and Roboshuttle Markets
- Evolving Brain-Computer Interface Market More Than Just Elon Musk’s Neuralink, Reports IDTechEx
- Latin Trails Wraps Up a Successful 3rd Quarter with Prestigious LATA Sustainability Award and Expands Conservation Initiatives ↗️
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd leitet Untersuchung für potenzielle Sammelklage gegen Ricardo Benjamín Salinas Pliego von Grupo ELEKTRA wegen Marktmanipulation und Wertpapierbetrug ein
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that the Company’s Romanian subsidiary exercised its right to redeem the Senior Secured Notes due in 2025 in principal amount of €450,000,000
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd Inicia Investigación de Demanda Colectiva Contra Ricardo Benjamín Salinas Pliego de Grupo ELEKTRA por Manipulación de Acciones y Fraude en Valores
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd Initiating Class Action Lawsuit Inquiry Against Ricardo Benjamín Salinas Pliego of Grupo ELEKTRA for Stock Manipulation & Securities Fraud
- Digi Communications N.V. announced that its Spanish subsidiary, Digi Spain Telecom S.L.U., has completed the first stage of selling a Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network in 12 Spanish provinces
- Natural Cotton Color lancia la collezione "Calunga" a Milano
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Salinas Pliego Incumple Préstamo de $110 Millones USD y Viola Regulaciones Mexicanas
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Salinas Pliego Verstößt gegen Darlehensvertrag über 110 Mio. USD und Mexikanische Wertpapiergesetze
- ChargeEuropa zamyka rundę finansowania, której przewodził fundusz Shift4Good tym samym dokonując historycznej francuskiej inwestycji w polski sektor elektromobilności
- Strengthening EU Protections: Robert Szustkowski calls for safeguarding EU citizens’ rights to dignity
- Digi Communications NV announces the release of H1 2024 Financial Results
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that conditional stock options were granted to a director of the Company’s Romanian Subsidiary
- Digi Communications N.V. announces Investors Call for the presentation of the H1 2024 Financial Results
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of a share purchase agreement by its subsidiary in Portugal
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces Rating Assigned by Fitch Ratings to Digi Communications N.V.
- Digi Communications N.V. announces significant agreements concluded by the Company’s subsidiaries in Spain
- SGW Global Appoints Telcomdis as the Official European Distributor for Motorola Nursery and Motorola Sound Products
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the instruction regarding the payment of share dividend for the 2023 financial year
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the exercise of conditional share options by the executive directors of the Company, for the year 2023, as approved by the Company’s Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meetings from 18th May 2021 and 28th December 2022
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the granting of conditional stock options to Executive Directors of the Company based on the general shareholders’ meeting approval from 25 June 2024
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the OGMS resolutions and the availability of the approved 2023 Annual Report
- Czech Composer Tatiana Mikova Presents Her String Quartet ‘In Modo Lidico’ at Carnegie Hall
- SWIFTT: A Copernicus-based forest management tool to map, mitigate, and prevent the main threats to EU forests
- WickedBet Unveils Exciting Euro 2024 Promotion with Boosted Odds
- Museum of Unrest: a new space for activism, art and design
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of a Senior Facility Agreement by companies within Digi Group
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the agreements concluded by Digi Romania (formerly named RCS & RDS S.A.), the Romanian subsidiary of the Company
- Green Light for Henri Hotel, Restaurants and Shops in the “Alter Fischereihafen” (Old Fishing Port) in Cuxhaven, opening Summer 2026
- Digi Communications N.V. reports consolidated revenues and other income of EUR 447 million, adjusted EBITDA (excluding IFRS 16) of EUR 140 million for Q1 2024
- Digi Communications announces the conclusion of Facilities Agreements by companies from Digi Group
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces the convocation of the Company’s general shareholders meeting for 25 June 2024 for the approval of, among others, the 2023 Annual Report
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the presentation of the Q1 2024 Financial Results
- Digi Communications intends to propose to shareholders the distribution of dividends for the fiscal year 2023 at the upcoming General Meeting of Shareholders, which shall take place in June 2024
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the Romanian version of the 2023 Annual Report
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the 2023 Annual Report
- International Airlines Group adopts Airline Economics by Skailark ↗️
- BevZero Spain Enhances Sustainability Efforts with Installation of Solar Panels at Production Facility
- Digi Communications N.V. announces share transaction made by an Executive Director of the Company with class B shares
- BevZero South Africa Achieves FSSC 22000 Food Safety Certification
- Digi Communications N.V.: Digi Spain Enters Agreement to Sell FTTH Network to International Investors for Up to EUR 750 Million
- Patients as Partners® Europe Announces the Launch of 8th Annual Meeting with 2024 Keynotes and Topics
- driveMybox continues its international expansion: Hungary as a new strategic location
- Monesave introduces Socialised budgeting: Meet the app quietly revolutionising how users budget
- Digi Communications NV announces the release of the 2023 Preliminary Financial Results
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the presentation of the 2023 Preliminary Financial Results
- Lensa, един от най-ценените търговци на оптика в Румъния, пристига в България. Първият шоурум е открит в София
- Criando o futuro: desenvolvimento da AENO no mercado de consumo em Portugal
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces the release of the Financial Calendar for 2024
- Customer Data Platform Industry Attracts New Participants: CDP Institute Report
- eCarsTrade annonce Dirk Van Roost au poste de Directeur Administratif et Financier: une décision stratégique pour la croissance à venir
- BevZero Announces Strategic Partnership with TOMSA Desil to Distribute equipment for sustainability in the wine industry, as well as the development of Next-Gen Dealcoholization technology
- Editor's pick archive....