Paul was one of the founders of Global-Roam in February 2000. He is currently the CEO of the company and the principal author of WattClarity. Writing for WattClarity has become a natural extension of his work in understanding the electricity market, enabling him to lead the team in developing better software for clients.
Before co-founding the company, Paul worked as a Mechanical Engineer for the Queensland Electricity Commission in the early 1990s. He also gained international experience in Japan, the United States, Canada, the UK, and Argentina as part of his ES Cornwall Memorial Scholarship.
It was an article in the AFR, on the 6th of February 2024, that drew our attention back to generator closures. Engie have announced the early closure of Snuggery and Port Lincoln Power Stations.
Both the QNI and the Heywood interconnectors tripped around the same time on Saturday 25th August 2018 (not apparent at this time which one was first, and why), leading to both QLD and SA regions being separately islanded from the rest of the mainland NEM. This also contributed to over 1,000MW of load shedding in NSW and VIC, and presumably some frequency excursions in QLD and SA.
The day is not over yet, but we thought you would be interested in the attached snapshot highlighting the first of the occasions on the day when prices jumped to VOLL in SA and VIC as a result of searing temperatures stopping the tennis, and melting VIC and SA into new demand records for each region.
3 Commentson "Wind production in South Australia roared out of the June doldrums to a new production record in July 2017"
I watched wind generator output in Southern Aust in May and June and it was pathetic. Oh that’s right we did not have our laughable 100MW energiser battery. Thermal powerstations did all the heavy lifting and ensured reliable supply something which wind and solar will never achieve. I am all for renewable energy but let’s stop pouring taxpayer money into this sector. We are told the technology has improved out of sight so let the proponents put their money where their mouth is without sucking the taxpayer dry. The debate is really ramping up and so it should. The public have been conned long enough and had a gutfull of the climate change religion. Unfortunately many people and the Government have woken up too late.
The trick is how to capture and harness this highly variable energy source through effective storage technology, and that’s what our best people are working on
Wind may be predictable day to day but remains just as unpredictable as ever over the longer term.
I watched wind generator output in Southern Aust in May and June and it was pathetic. Oh that’s right we did not have our laughable 100MW energiser battery. Thermal powerstations did all the heavy lifting and ensured reliable supply something which wind and solar will never achieve. I am all for renewable energy but let’s stop pouring taxpayer money into this sector. We are told the technology has improved out of sight so let the proponents put their money where their mouth is without sucking the taxpayer dry. The debate is really ramping up and so it should. The public have been conned long enough and had a gutfull of the climate change religion. Unfortunately many people and the Government have woken up too late.
The trick is how to capture and harness this highly variable energy source through effective storage technology, and that’s what our best people are working on