How is a dynamic electricity price made up?

The day-ahead price of the quarter hour, plus grid fees, levies and taxes and the supplier's margin, which do not move, plus VAT on the sum. In the deep dive, 7.0 ct wholesale at 2 AM became 27.7 ct retail.

Explained in

Energy and grid integration · Deep diveOne night of prices and one grid signalThe night of stops 04 to 06 as the wallbox's controller saw it: quarter-hour prices from the day-ahead market, the retail price built on them, the grid operator's signal at 7:30 PM, and the charging schedule the controller chose.
  • Day-ahead. Set by the coupled European market the day before, for every quarter hour of the next day. The controller downloads it once and plans the night.
  • Retail. The supplier's formula: wholesale plus the fixed components plus VAT. Different suppliers, different fixed parts; the shape of the curve is the same.
  • Event. The driver's inputs and the grid operator's signal. The signal reaches the wallbox through the control box the grid operator installed, or through the energy management system of the house; it overrides any price.
From “Three columns, three sources”, stop 10

Terms

  1. Grid feeWhat a grid operator charges for the use of its grid; it is part of the electricity price and, for larger connections, often also depends on the highest power drawn.
  1. Can the grid handle electric cars?Nationally, EVs used about 1% of the world's electricity in 2025. Locally, the issue is timing: spread into the night, most charging fits existing grids.
  2. How green is the electricity for charging?The EU's electricity was 49.9% renewable in 2025. Charging can follow hourly renewable data, drivers can choose green tariffs, and public operators state whether a charger's electricity is 100% renewable.
  3. Is charging cheaper at night?With a dynamic contract, often yes, and also around midday on sunny days. Prices move every quarter hour; a controller can pick the cheapest slots before departure.
  4. Can I charge my car with solar panels?Yes, from the surplus the house does not use. Cars need a minimum of about 1.4 kW on one phase or 4.1 kW on three, so wallboxes that switch phases follow the sun best.
  1. OKTE (nominated electricity market operator): 15-minute MTU in SDAC was implemented, 1 October 2025. https://okte.sk/en/information/news/2025-10-01-15-minute-mtu-in-sdac-was-implemented. Checked 09 Oct 2026.
  2. Bundesnetzagentur: BK6-22-300, Annex 1, sections 2.4 and 4.5. https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Beschlusskammern/1_GZ/BK6-GZ/2022/BK6-22-300/Beschluss/BK6-22-300_Beschluss_Anlage1.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1. Checked 09 Oct 2026.