Virta Boost is an extension of Virta's Adaptive Load Management (ALM) technology, designed to help you, as an EV charging operator, put on-site renewable energy to work for your charging operation instead of running the two separately. As more sites add solar, battery, wind, or hydro capacity alongside their chargers, Virta Boost ensures that on-site renewable production and EV charging work in harmony, helping you:

• Prioritise solar, battery, wind, or hydro power for EV charging over grid imports 
• Cut energy costs by using locally generated power first 
• Keep the same grid-connection safeguards as standard ALM 
• Increase the renewable share of every charging session for ESG reporting

1. Virta Boost overview

Virta Boost is an advanced extension of Virta's Adaptive Load Management (ALM) system. It's designed to maximise the use of locally produced renewable energy — such as solar power — at EV charging sites, by intelligently integrating on-site energy production data with real-time consumption.

In short: Virta Boost measures surplus energy (from solar, battery, wind, or hydro), and temporarily raises the load management group's import limit to allocate that surplus to EV charging — without ever risking an overload at the grid connection point.

2. Key benefits

• Maximised renewable energy use – prioritise solar or battery energy for EV charging.
• Reduced grid dependency – lower electricity bills by prioritising local energy use first.
• Dynamic load management – automatically balances building load, renewable generation, and EV charging in real time.
• Scalable and seamless – integrates directly with your existing Virta ALM setup and OCPP-compatible chargers.
• Supports sustainability goals – demonstrates a measurable commitment to clean, efficient energy use.

3. How Virta Boost works

Virta Boost builds on standard ALM logic by adding real-time monitoring of renewable energy production alongside the usual grid-connection monitoring.

• When solar, battery, wind, or hydro output is high, the system increases available charging power to make full use of the surplus.
• When renewable production drops or building consumption rises, the system automatically reduces charging power to stay within safe load limits.

This dynamic adjustment happens continuously and automatically once installed — no manual intervention is required, and it works proactively rather than reactively.

3.1 Measured vs. unmeasured surplus

Virta Boost can run in two ways, depending on how much metering you have in place:

• Measured surplus (recommended) – a dedicated meter tracks your renewable source directly, so Virta Boost knows exactly how much surplus is available and allocates it precisely to EV charging.
• Unmeasured surplus – only grid consumption is measured, using the standard ALM box. Virta Boost temporarily raises the charging group's DLM limit to make use of local surplus that isn't separately metered, while continuously ensuring the grid connection limit is never exceeded.

Unmeasured surplus is a lighter-weight option when installing a second meter at the renewable source isn't practical — it needs less hardware, but works from a less precise picture of exactly how much surplus is available at any given moment.

4. Setting up Virta Boost

4.1 Prerequisites

What you need depends on whether you're setting up measured or unmeasured surplus (see Section 3.1):

For measured surplus:

• Two Virta ALM Kits (Teltonika Gateway + Carlo Gavazzi EM24 energy meters), or one Virta ALM Kit with two energy meters on the latest firmware (newly purchased kits only), installed and operational at the site:
  • One meter at the grid or transformer connection point, to protect the main circuit (see standard ALM instructions).
  • One meter at the renewable source — solar, battery, wind, or hydro.
• Operational on-site renewable generation (e.g. solar panels or an energy storage system).
• Real-time production data capability — the energy meter must be able to report live production data to the Virta backend (e.g. via Carlo Gavazzi).
• OCPP 1.6-J compatible AC or DC charging stations.

For unmeasured surplus:

• One Virta ALM Kit (Teltonika Gateway + Carlo Gavazzi EM24 energy meter) installed at the grid or transformer connection point — no separate renewable-source meter required.
• Operational on-site renewable generation feeding into the same grid connection.
• OCPP 1.6-J compatible AC or DC charging stations.

Tip: If your grid-connection and renewable-source measuring points are far apart, use two separate Virta ALM Kits rather than one kit with two meters.

4.2 Step-by-step setup instructions

4.2.1 Measured surplus setup

Step 1: Install the hardware

Install your Teltonika Gateway(s) and Carlo Gavazzi EM24 meter(s):

• One at the grid or transformer connection point (protects the main circuit) — required for both measured and unmeasured setups.
• One at the renewable source connection (solar, battery, wind, or hydro) — only required for measured surplus.

These devices give Virta Hub real-time visibility into site consumption and, where installed, locally supplied renewable energy — this hardware is essential; Virta Boost can't function without at least the grid connection meter reporting live data.

Step 2: Configure the ALM group in Virta Energy 

Log in to Virta Energy, navigate to Load Management → ALM Group Settings and create or select the ALM group for your site. Follow these step-by-step instructions:

1. Set DLM limit (Cap for total consumption of charger group)
2. Set ALM limit (Limit for electricity utilisation per phase from grid)

3. Add the External Device UUID of the Teltonika gateway measuring the grid connection, and select Carlo Gavazzi EM24 as the meter device provider.

   Example configuration (grid connection meter):

   Meter no.1 (ICCID-1)	Example value
   IP Address	192.168.1.10
   Subnet mask	255.255.255.0
   Gateway	192.168.1.1
   Server ID (if applicable)	2

4. Select "Boost charging"

5. Add the Boost charging External Device UUID of the Teltonika gateway measuring the solar/battery connection, and again select Carlo Gavazzi EM24 as the meter device provider.

   Example configuration (renewable source meter):

   Meter no.2 (ICCID-2)	Example value
   IP Address	192.168.1.11
   Subnet mask	255.255.255.0
   Gateway	192.168.1.1
   Server ID (if applicable)	3

Step 3: Save and verify data flow

• Confirm that real-time consumption data — and, for measured surplus, production data — is visible in the Energy UI.
• Confirm that charging power is dynamically adjusting based on available surplus and building demand.

Step 4: Test and monitor

• Plug in one or more EVs and observe charging power increase as renewable production rises.
• Monitor the system for a few days to confirm optimal operation with no overloads.

4.2.2 Unmeasured surplus setup 

Follow the instruction to set up ALM in Virta Energy UI. 

1. Select "Enable charging with surplus capacity"
2. Set the upper limit for the charger group in DLM field "Maximum current rating (A)". This is the maximum limit up to which chargers can consume energy when surplus is available. If there's no surplus, the system falls back to the ALM limit.

5. Support & troubleshooting

• Make sure all firmware and software on your ALM Kits are up to date.
• For complex site configurations or multi-location setups, contact your Virta representative.
• For detailed compatibility information and troubleshooting, contact our support by submitting a request or contact your Virta representative.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use Perific meters instead of Carlo Gavazzi meters?

Theoretically possible, but not officially supported for Virta Boost. Perific meters rely on Wi-Fi and cloud reporting with roughly 30-second intervals, which is too slow for real-time load adjustments. Changes in renewable production surplus can changes very rapidly.  For reliable performance, use Carlo Gavazzi hardware integrated directly with Virta ALM.

2. Does the renewable source need to be on the same connection point as the chargers?

Not exactly. The renewable source needs to be connected within the same grid connection (after the main fuses), not necessarily at the same physical point. Exceptions exist for multi-location setups under a single electrical contract.

3. Can Virta Boost work without solar panels?

Yes. It can use any renewable or stored energy source — battery storage, wind, or hydro — provided real-time production data is available.

4. What version of OCPP is required?

Virta Boost supports OCPP 1.6-J compatible AC or DC charging stations.

5. How does Virta Boost protect against grid overload?

The system continuously monitors total site load and automatically adjusts EV charging power to stay within the safe import limit, ensuring grid stability at all times.

6. How quickly does Virta Boost react to changes in renewable production?

Adjustments happen in near real time, so the system responds to fluctuations in renewable generation or building demand instantly.

7. Do I need a meter at the renewable source to use Virta Boost?

No — Virta Boost also supports unmeasured surplus, using only the standard ALM grid connection meter. In this mode, Virta Boost temporarily raises the DLM limit to make use of local surplus without a dedicated production meter, while ensuring the grid limit is never exceeded.

That's it. You now know how Virta Boost enables you — as a charging site owner, fleet operator, or eMobility provider — to maximise renewable energy utilisation, lower energy costs, and enhance grid reliability, all while meeting your sustainability goals.

By integrating seamlessly with Virta ALM and your on-site renewables, Virta Boost turns your charging infrastructure into an intelligent, green, and cost-efficient energy ecosystem.

If you have any questions or need help setting up Virta Boost, your Customer Success Manager or our Support team are always happy to help.