How the Dutch imbalance market works
The Dutch electricity grid must stay in continuous balance between supply and demand. TenneT, the national transmission system operator, publishes real-time imbalance signals and settlement prices every fifteen minutes to support this. When the grid tips out of balance:
Parties that deliver or absorb power in the right direction are compensated at the prevailing imbalance price
Parties that make the imbalance worse are charged
This dynamic creates a market that battery owners can actively benefit from. Tibo EMS can position your battery to respond to TenneT signals in real time, across several different trading models.
Passive imbalance trading
In passive imbalance trading, a Balance Responsible Party (BRP) — typically your energy supplier or a contracted intermediary — deliberately deviates from its submitted energy programme in the direction that helps restore grid balance. The BRP is then compensated at the imbalance price for that period.
Tibo EMS steers the battery and the wider site in response to real-time TenneT signals to support this strategy. You do not need to make any trading decisions yourself — the system handles positioning automatically.
Best for: customers who want exposure to imbalance revenue without taking on active trading responsibilities
Active balancing services
In this model, your battery is offered as qualified controllable capacity on TenneT's balancing markets. TenneT operates three main products:
FCR (Frequency Containment Reserve) — responds within seconds; commands the highest capacity fees
aFRR (automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve) — activates within minutes; provides a secondary revenue layer
mFRR (manual Frequency Restoration Reserve) — can be stacked on top of other programmes for additional revenue
Participation requires the battery system to be pre-qualified and connected via a certified Balance Service Provider (BSP) or aggregator. Tibo Energy supports customers through the qualification process and can connect you with the right market party for your situation.
Best for: customers with a battery that meets the technical requirements and want to maximise market revenue
Capacity rental
The capacity rental model is a hands-off arrangement where you make battery capacity available to a trading party or aggregator for a defined time window, and receive a fee in return.
Here is how it works in practice:
Your battery is brought to an agreed state of charge. Example: 50% ahead of a four-hour block.
During the window, the trading party controls the battery for their own positions on the FCR or aFRR market.
Outside the window, Tibo EMS resumes full control and prepares the battery for the next block.
Tibo can see availability windows in advance using day-ahead and intraday market data, so both you and your trading partner can be notified proactively about when capacity can be offered and at what size. No trading decisions are required from you at any point.
Best for: customers who want predictable, passive income from their battery without managing market positions
How on-site energy management is handled alongside trading
Across all trading models, Tibo EMS never manages the battery in isolation. The system optimises the following simultaneously:
Solar generation
EV charging
Building consumption
Grid interaction
Participating in imbalance trading does not come at the expense of your on-site energy management. Both are handled within the same optimisation layer.
Finding the right model for your site
Which trading model makes sense depends on your battery configuration, site profile, and appetite for market involvement. The options available to you include:
Passive imbalance trading via your BRP
Active participation in FCR, aFRR, or mFRR markets via a certified BSP or aggregator
Capacity rental to a trading party for defined time windows
To explore which revenue streams apply to your situation, contact your Tibo Energy account representative.