Energy community calculations
Energy community calculation calculates the so-called community energy within a 15-minute time step for consumption and production accounting points that belong to the community. Community energy means consumption or production that has been deduced or added a share of the community’s production, depending on whether it is a consumption or production accounting point. There are two surplus methods for energy communities: SMA or SMB.
Datahub performs an energy community calculation in connection with the DSO’s metering data message when all metering data necessary to calculate the results of the energy community members has been submitted to Datahub. The required metering data depends on the member’s accounting point. Even if metering data has not been submitted for all members of the community, the calculation is performed for those members whose results do not depend on the missing readings. For example, if readings are missing only from a consumption accounting point within the community, this does not affect the calculation of results for other consumption members, and the calculation is performed for them once the other time-step metering data has been delivered to Datahub.
Information affecting community calculations:
The surplus method defined for the community (SMA/SMB)
The dividend of the community production defined for the consumption accounting point (percentage)
The status of the consumption accounting point
The netting of the accounting point (based on the related accounting point information)
The following principles are applied to calculations:
Internal netting of an accounting point is always calculated before community calculation:
The consumption of a netted accounting point is fully reduced by the production of a related production accounting point.
The possible surplus of the accounting point after the netting is transferred to the total production to be divided within the energy community.
Note that this netting principle also applies in situations where the netted production accounting point is defined to be the surplus production accounting point.
The total production of the energy community is calculated from all of the production accounting points of the energy community, excluding the production that is already deduced from the related accounting point in netting (see previous point).
The percentage of the whole community production (dividend) defined for the accounting point is deduced from the consumption of the (connected) accounting point belonging to the energy community.
If the accounting point is disconnected, the share of the community’s total production is not subtracted from the consumption. Instead, this share is recorded as part of the community’s surplus energy.
No measurement data is provided for metering points under construction. For such community members, Datahub ensures the necessary readings for calculation (zero/OK).
The time step of the community calculation results depends on the time step used in balance settlement. Balance settlement was performed on an hourly basis until May 2023, after which it transitioned to a 15-minute time step. During hourly balance settlement, community energy was calculated according to the accounting point’s time step. In 15-minute balance settlement, community calculation results are always calculated with 15-minute precision, regardless of the accounting point’s metering accuracy or time step.
After the calculation, Datahub forwards the calculated community energy to all market parties that have right to it (DSO’s, suppliers and third parties). Market parties can also retrieve community energy data using retrieval events.
Surplus method SMA
In the surplus method SMA, all surplus energy is assigned to the (single) production accounting point defined for the energy community.
In addition to the principles above, the following rules apply:
All surplus energy is assigned to the surplus production accounting point defined for the energy community.
The possible difference between the dividend and the consumption of the accounting point (production > consumption) is assigned to surplus energy.
The production (netted or measured) of the production accounting point belonging to the energy community, that is not defined as the surplus accounting point, is assigned to be part of the total production of the community that will be shared with the members of the community.
Community energy is calculated for different accounting points as follows:
| Not netted | Netted |
Connected consumption accounting point | Measured consumption − dividend | Netted consumption − dividend |
Disconnected consumption accounting point | 0 or measured consumption (if ≠ 0)* | 0 or netted consumption (if ≠ 0)* |
Production accounting point (other than surplus accounting point) | 0 | 0 |
Surplus production accounting point | Surplus energy | Surplus energy |
In the table, the netted consumption/production means the netting performed for related accounting points (between two accounting points).
The calculation result for an accounting point is always 0 or greater (no negative values).
The consumption for the disconnected accounting points should be zero, but in exceptional cases there might be values.
Surplus method SMB
In surplus method SMB, the total production of the energy community is divided between all consumption accounting points belonging to the community by dividends defined for each accounting point. Possible surplus per accounting point is assigned to the related production accounting point. In this method, surplus for the community can only come from disconnected consumption accounting points.
The rules below for the production accounting points are also valid for “virtual” production accounting points. In the calculations, the same rules thus apply for normal production accounting points and virtual production accounting points.
In the calculations for surplus method SMB the following rules apply:
Total community production is divided between all consumption accounting points in the energy community according to their dividend percentages:
The production that exceeds the consumption (metered or netted) will be assigned to the related production accounting point.
If a consumption accounting point does not have a related production accounting point, the DSO must pre-establish a so-called virtual metering point (see Energy community information maintenance) and report this as the related accounting point for the consumption member.
The share of a disconnected accounting point is assigned to the predefined surplus accounting point of the energy community.
Community energy is calculated for different accounting points as follows:
| Not netted*** | Netted and the related accounting point is connected | Netted and the related accounting point is disconnected |
Connected consumption accounting point | Measured consumption − dividend | Netted consumption − dividend | Not applicable |
Disconnected consumption accounting point | 0 or measured consumption (if ≠ 0)* | Not applicable | 0 or netted consumption (if ≠ 0)* |
Production accounting point (other than surplus accounting point) | 0 or dividend of the related consumption accounting point − measured consumption | Dividend of the related consumption accounting point − netted consumption | 0 |
Surplus production accounting point | Dividend of the related consumption accounting point − measured consumption + the dividends of the disconnected consumption accounting points (=surplus) | Dividend of the related consumption accounting point − netted consumption | The dividends of the disconnected consumption accounting points (=surplus)** |
In the table netted consumption/production means the netting performed for related accounting points (between two accounting points).
The calculation result for an accounting point is always 0 or greater (no negative values).
* The consumption for the disconnected accounting points should be zero, but in exceptional cases there might be values.
** Also includes the dividend of the surplus accounting point’s related consumption accounting point.
*** A consumption accounting point must always have a related accounting point in an SMB energy community (usually a virtual accounting point when not netted).