Voltmasters Platform
Energy contracts
The energy contract of a Voltmasters EMS project: the contract types, what you enter per type, and how the EMS uses the prices.
The energy contract tells the EMS how the market translates into the prices it actually plans against. The EMS never acts on a raw market price directly: your contract determines how each quarter-hour becomes a net consumption price (what you pay to import) and a net injection price (what you earn or pay to inject). Those two net prices drive every price-based decision, including PV curtailment and cost optimization.
You configure the contract under Configuration → Grid & market → Energy contract.
When you save a new contract, the platform recalculates the upcoming energy prices for this project. Prices already in the past keep the values they were calculated with, so a chart can show market-following prices up to the switch and the new contract's prices afterwards.
Contract types
| Type | How prices are determined | What you enter |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic | Follows the quarter-hourly / hourly day-ahead market (EPEX spot). Net prices are derived from the market price via scaling factors and fixed cost components. Best suited for the Cost Optimisation strategy. | Scaling factors and costs per MWh, see Dynamic. |
| Flexible | A fixed price per MWh that your supplier revises periodically (for example monthly or quarterly). Between revisions it behaves like a fixed contract. | One consumption price and one injection price. |
| Fixed | A single price per MWh agreed in advance for the whole contract and independent of the market. | One consumption price and one injection price. |
| Fixed (Spain, time-of-use) | A Spanish access tariff (3.0 TD / 6.1 TD / 6.2 TD) with a different fixed price per tariff period (P1–P6). Only available for projects located in Spain. | Six prices, one per tariff period. |
Dynamic
The net prices are computed from the market price with your scaling factors and per-MWh costs. The exact formulas and a worked example are documented in Energy price calculation. If you leave a parameter blank, the EMS falls back to default values.
You find the values in your energy contract or on your invoice.
- Contract type.
- Consumption scaling factor (A): multiplies the EPEX price in the consumption price. 1 means no correction.
- Consumption cost (€/MWh): added to the consumption price.
- Consumption distribution cost (€/MWh): all grid costs per MWh on your invoice, such as transmission, distribution, taxes and levies. The fixed cost for the access power is not included.
- Injection scaling factor (B): multiplies the EPEX price in the injection price.
- Injection cost (€/MWh): subtracted from the injection price.
- Injection distribution cost (€/MWh): subtracted from the injection price.
Fixed and Flexible
You enter a single consumption price and injection price in €/MWh. Every quarter-hour uses the same value, so the price line is flat and independent of the market. A Flexible contract works identically; re-enter the price whenever your supplier revises it.
Fixed (Spain, time-of-use)
The Fixed (Spain, time-of-use) contract type has its own page with the tariff periods, the seasons and the public holidays: Spanish time-of-use periods.
Where these prices are used
- PV curtailment: PV production is limited when the net injection price is negative.
- Cost optimization: the battery is charged and discharged based on the net consumption and injection prices across the forecast.
- Energy price calculation: the formulas that turn a dynamic contract's market price into net prices.
- Energy cost on the energy meter dashboard: the contract you enter here is what that dashboard values your metered energy at. It also explains why that amount is an indication and not a settlement.