This article explains Virta's load management for AC charging points via https://energy.virtaglobal.com/login. When a station is in multiple groups with different limits, the system applies the lowest value to comply with all rules. A practical example shows chargers linked to main and sub-distribution groups to optimize capacity. Troubleshooting tips include ensuring OCPP 1.6 protocol, energy integration, correct group connections, and charger online status. Reporting issues requires detailed problem and configuration info.
This support article is applicable to load management services for AC charging points used via the following user interface: https://energy.virtaglobal.com/login
There are use cases, where a single station is connected to several groups that have different services enabled at the same time (or same services but with different limits). Instead of bombarding the station with all the incoming requests, our internal service (stacking logic) basically gathers the incoming requests and applies the lowest value to the charging point. The main idea is to comply with all the rules the charging point is subjected to. There may be very complex sites and setups, but simply picking the lowest value (at least in the case of AC charging points) allows one to do just that. There is no harm from the infrastructure’s perspective if the charging points use less power than they could. But using more than the infrastructure allows will cause severe problems. What is the benefit of connecting charging points to multiple groups? See the section called A practical example of Virta Capacity Maximiser in action.
How does it work?
In all its simplicity, the stacking logic will activate immediately once a station is connected to more than one group with energy management services enabled. There are no user interfaces to interact with.
A practical example of Capacity Maximiser in action
Think of a garage, where there is the main supply for the whole site and sub-distribution boards per floor just for EV charging points. The charging points are physically connected to the sub-distribution boards, based on the floor they are located at. In order to avoid exceeding the main supply’s capacity while utilizing the full potential of the sub-distribution boards' capacity, the charging points would have to be organized so that:
all charging points are grouped into one single DLM/ALM group guarding the main supply and in addition,
all charging points are grouped to another DLM/ALM group dedicated to the sub-distribution board the chargers are connected to
As an end result, one charger is connected to two groups:
And this is what happens in the backend:
Troubleshooting guide
If your chargers are not responding as expected, check the following:
Multi-service charger control logic is compatible only with OCPP 1.6 - Make sure the charging points operate using this protocol.
As with all energy services, also multi-service charger control logic is compatible only with energy integrated charging points - Verify that stations experiencing problems are energy integrated.
Make sure the charging points are connected to the group(s) that has DLM enabled.
Is the charger shown as “Supported” in EnergyUI? If not, then it means that the specific charger model has not gone through Virta’s energy integration. If this is the case, please contact your Virta support person.
Is the charger online? DLM is a cloud-based service basically meaning that the charger has to be online and connected to Virta backend in order to receive control commands.
Make sure the Max power kW –field has been properly configured in Virta Hub.
Make sure that the number of installed phases has been properly configured in the Virta Hub.
Are there other energy management features enabled simultaneously? If yes, other services may have taken control over DLM (e.g. phase balancing)
If you are still experiencing issues, please contact Virta support (support@virta.global). Make sure to include all information described in the section Instructions for reporting issues
Instructions for reporting issues
We need to know some basic information about the issue in order to investigate it thoroughly. Please provide at least the following information when filing an issue:
Problem description: How does the problem occur? What effect does the problem have?
Which energy services were enabled during the issue?
Were there any changes made to charger configuration or new services enabled prior to encountering the issue
Date & time of the finding
Charger IDs
Make & model of the vehicle(s) charging
What was the vehicle(s) state of charge
Describe your actions step-by-step. If possible, link relevant OCPP logs to your actions.
Required permissions
To use Capacity maximizer, Organisation (CPO) must have "Capacity maximizer" module enabled in Virta Hub.