~55 minutes of frequency wobbles in the middle of the day – Thursday 31st October 2024 (Part 1)

As noted by others (such as Allan here on 6th November 2020), control of system frequency improved markedly with the (re)introduction of Primary Frequency Response.

In more recent times, readers here will have noted we’ve been taking a closer look of frequency performance – including via our own high(er*)-speed frequency measurements, including noting some frequency disruption events in recent times.

* with respect to speed, everything is relative.

With the better control of frequency:

1)  we’re more accustomed to seeing it oscillate in a narrower band of (say) 49.95 to 50.05Hz

2)  or, in other words, well within the NOFB.

That’s why some wobbles in the past 24 hours of performance stick out – as captured in this snapshot at 08:22 (NEM time) on Friday 1st November 2024 morning:

2024-11-01-at-08-22-MainlandFrequency-Back24hours

With the area (roughly) highlighted, we thought we’d extract the data and have a more detailed look:

2024-10-31-NEMFrequency-ZoomedIn

… with a bit of manipulation to divide up into specific dispatch intervals over a 90-minute period from 13:30 to 15:00 (NEM time) on Wednesday 31st October 2024.

 

Now, curiosity has kicked in … but other commitments have intervened … so this is to be continued as Part 2 when time permits.


About the Author

Paul McArdle
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.

1 Comment on "~55 minutes of frequency wobbles in the middle of the day – Thursday 31st October 2024 (Part 1)"

  1. Dont forget the initial event can often create harmonics on the system in the region that the frequency analyser is sampling at. Can create initial false high/low values.

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