AEMO commences publishing actual intermittent generators (SCADA) availability data to the EMMS Data Model

A short, belated and back-dated article to note that the AEMO began publishing actual intermittent generators (SCADA) availability data:

• to the EMMS Data Model in the Production environment from August 13th 2024 and
• to NEMWeb from August 14th 2024.

Earlier invisibility of actual (physical) availability of Semi-Scheduled units

Back on 3rd April 2020, Marcelle had written suggesting these enhancements in the article ‘Semi-scheduled Generation Availability Forecasts–how to improve?’, with a key point being noted in this section:

‘Improving the process

There are two mechanisms that a semi-scheduled generator uses to communicate information on its availability to AEMO for input to AWEFS or ASEFS. In real-time there are SCADA readings, including the Turbines/Inverters Available signal, plus the Local Limit signal which indicates a plant-wide limitation on output. Generators also provide a range of real-time meteorological measurements including wind speed, wind direction and temperature. For the pre-dispatch and ST-PASA timeframes (out to a week) there is the AEMO EMMS portal, where generators enter the number of Turbines or Inverters that are unavailable for each half-hour, plus an “Upper MW Limit” which is a plant-wide limitation on output.

There are at least four factors that determine how effective this forecasting process is:

(a)  technically how accurately the forecasts can be calculated;
(b)  how well determined and understood the forecasting roles and information flows are between the different parts of the system;
(c)  how easy it is for participants to provide the right information; and
(d)  the capacity for feedback and continuous improvement.’

Elsewhere, we’ve also noted some long-running challenges with invisibility of some data for Semi-Scheduled generators….

AEMO transparency initiative

… so it was great to see the AEMO commence the publication of this data.

Associated with this move, the AEMO created this page ‘Publishing actual intermittent generators (SCADA) availability data’ that contains more information:

In our products

So one next step, for us, will be to determine how and where best to include this new data into (some of our) our software products.