Day-Ahead Trading
Day-Ahead Trading enables utilities to optimize energy procurement costs by leveraging the flexibility of Podero’s connected device fleet. By shifting energy consumption to low-price periods while maintaining end-user comfort, you can reduce wholesale energy costs and improve grid balancing.Business Value
Cost Optimization
Podero analyzes your day-ahead price forecasts and calculates an optimized consumption schedule that shifts flexible loads (heat pumps, EV charging, etc.) to periods with lower energy prices. The difference between optimized and baseline consumption represents your potential cost savings. Example: If your baseline consumption during peak hours (high prices) is 500 MWh, Podero can shift 150 MWh to off-peak hours (low prices), reducing your procurement costs while maintaining all end-user comfort requirements.Revenue Opportunities
Beyond cost reduction, the flexible capacity can create additional revenue streams:- Arbitrage: Buy energy when prices are low, shift consumption to avoid high-price periods
- Grid Services: Provide demand response to balance the grid
- Market Participation: Actively shape your load profile to match your trading strategy
How It Works
The Day-Ahead optimization operates over a ~36-hour window with three distinct phases:Phase 1: Optimization & Trading
Day 1, 09:00 - 12:00
- Upload Prices (~09:00): You send your day-ahead price forecasts to Podero
- Optimization (~09:00 - 10:30): Podero calculates optimized and unoptimized load curves
- Fetch Curves (~10:30): You retrieve both curves to calculate the delta
- Trade on Market (~10:30 - 12:00): You adjust your market bids based on the optimized curve
Phase 2: Confirmation
Day 1, 14:30 or 23:30You confirm to Podero that you have purchased the optimized volume. Timing depends on your trading strategy:
- Intraday traders: Confirm by 14:30 (before intraday market opens at 15:00)
- Non-intraday traders: Confirm by 23:30 (before optimization starts at midnight)
Understanding the Delta
The key to Day-Ahead Trading is the delta between optimized and unoptimized curves:- Positive delta: Increased consumption (buy more energy for that interval)
- Negative delta: Decreased consumption (buy less energy for that interval)
- Net effect: Shifts consumption from high-price to low-price periods
| Time | Price | Unoptimized | Optimized | Delta | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02:00 | 25 EUR/MWh | 100 MWh | 150 MWh | +50 MWh | Buy 50 MWh more (cheap) |
| 18:00 | 85 EUR/MWh | 200 MWh | 150 MWh | -50 MWh | Buy 50 MWh less (expensive) |
50 MWh × (85 - 25) EUR/MWh = 3,000 EUR
Fleet Flexibility
Podero optimizes consumption across multiple device types:- Heat Pumps: Shift heating/cooling cycles while maintaining temperature comfort
- Electric Vehicles: Schedule charging during low-price periods while meeting departure times
- PV Systems + Batteries: Optimize battery charging/discharging and maximize self-consumption
Risk Mitigation
You Maintain Control
- You can reject the optimization at any time before the confirmation deadline
- No activation until you send the confirmation
- Devices automatically fall back to unoptimized behavior if not confirmed
Transparency
- Both optimized and unoptimized curves provided
- Full visibility into the delta before trading
- You see exactly what will happen before committing
Prerequisites
Before integrating, ensure you have:- Active Partner API credentials with trading permissions
- System to generate 15-minute price forecasts
- Trading desk integration or automation
- Process to confirm trades by 14:30 (intraday) or 23:30 (non-intraday)
Next Steps
Integration Guide
Learn how to integrate the Day-Ahead Trading API