A method for controlled operation of a biotechnological apparatus comprising - one or more bioreactors, - functional components each assigned to at least one bioreactor and which can be used for operational management during operation of the at least one bioreactor, and - a control unit coupled to a first group of functional components in order to give control signals during operation to at least the first group of functional components, wherein the method for controlling electrical power consumption for the first group of functional components during operation comprises the following steps: - providing electronic information about a predefined total electrical power consumption for the first group of functional components in the control unit, - generating a respective present power control signal for the functional components of the first group of functional components in the control unit, - determining, in the control unit, a currently required total electrical power consumption for a present operating situation resulting when the respective present power control signal for the first group of functional components is taken into consideration, - adjusting the respective present power control signal for one or more of the functional components from the first group of functional components in order to optimise power consumption, when a comparison shows for the first group of functional components that the currently required total electrical power consumption is greater than the predefined total electrical power consumption, such that, for the first group of functional components, an adjusted total electrical power consumption is not greater than the predefined total electrical power consumption when taking into consideration the one or more adjusted power control signals and selectively remaining, unadjusted present power control signals, and - outputting the one or more adjusted power control signals and the selectively remaining unadjusted present power control signals via the control unit to the functional components of the first group of functional components, characterised in that a step is performed to determine the predefined total electrical power consumption for the first group of functional components, in which the predefined total electrical power consumption is determined as the difference between a maximum total electrical power consumption available for the functional components in operation and an electrical power consumption assigned to a second group of functional components formed of functional components which must fully perform their function in operation, wherein the functional components of the second group, unlike the functional components of the first group, are excluded from adjustment of the present power control signal respectively assigned to them at least whenever the adjustment would cause a reduction in power for the respective functional component. - one or more bioreactors, - functional components each assigned to at least one bioreactor and which can be used for operational management during operation of the at least one bioreactor, and - a control unit coupled to a first group of functional components in order to give control signals during operation to at least the first group of functional components, - providing electronic information about a predefined total electrical power consumption for the first group of functional components in the control unit, - generating a respective present power control signal for the functional components of the first group of functional components in the control unit, - determining, in the control unit, a currently required total electrical power consumption for a present operating situation resulting when the respective present power control signal for the first group of functional components is taken into consideration, - adjusting the respective present power control signal for one or more of the functional components from the first group of functional components in order to optimise power consumption, when a comparison shows for the first group of functional components that the currently required total electrical power consumption is greater than the predefined total electrical power consumption, such that, for the first group of functional components, an adjusted total electrical power consumption is not greater than the predefined total electrical power consumption when taking into consideration the one or more adjusted power control signals and selectively remaining, unadjusted present power control signals, and - outputting the one or more adjusted power control signals and the selectively remaining unadjusted present power control signals via the control unit to the functional components of the first group of functional components,