Peak shaving and peak shifting are two ways to avoid peaks in your electricity consumption. A peak is a moment when you use much more electricity than average, for example in the morning or evening when many appliances are on at the same time and you also plug in your electric car.
Why avoid peaks?
Electricity is often more expensive during peak hours.
Peaks put a strain on the electricity grid, which increases the risk of outages.
To cover peaks, extra gas- or oil-fired power stations are often used, resulting in higher CO₂ emissions.
Peak shaving: flattening peaks
You set a maximum capacity on your smart charging station. The charging station keeps charging, but if the peak gets too high, it automatically switches to a lower power, or uses another source such as the electricity from your solar panels or energy stored in a battery. This way, you don't exceed the maximum capacity of your home or building.
Peak shifting: shifting consumption
You use the same amount of energy, but at a different time. You then charge when electricity is cheaper and more widely available, for example at night. An example: instead of charging as soon as you get home, you set charging to start only after midnight.
What is the difference with load balancing?
Peak shifting spreads consumption over time. Load balancing distributes the available power at the same moment across several charge points at one location, for example in a company car park or an apartment building. You can read more in the article What is Load Balancing?.
You set up peak shaving and peak shifting on a smart charging station. This lowers your energy costs and eases the load on the electricity grid.
Read more on our blog: Peak shaving and shifting: what does it mean for charging stations?
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