Habeck on Smart Meters as an Intelligent Pricing System for Electricity

Economics Minister Habeck relies on intelligent pricing systems for electricity: they can contribute to the more efficient use of renewable energies

“Germany is very late in introducing smart meters. In countries like Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands, they have been widely used for years. (…) The new electricity meters are no longer read, but can send their measured values every second. The following points make it clear how this leads to lower prices and a faster energy turnaround. Electricity providers can thus offer flexible tariffs, where electricity becomes cheaper when it is abundant. And this is regularly the case. At night, electricity is often half as expensive as during the day. In summer, it is sometimes the other way round. On clear days with a lot of sun, the production of solar systems is sufficient to push the price down or even below zero.”

– C. Herwartz and K. Stratmann in “Habeck’s smart electricity price plan – Digital electricity meters are supposed to bring consumers significant savings. The Minister of Economics hopes that a new law will give a boost to the technology.”, in Handelsblatt, January 12, 2023, page 8, No. 9