A decline in energy volumes generated in the NEM
Some observations about where average demand in the NEM has trended over the 12 years of NEM history, following the work done in compiling the 2011 Issue of the "Power Trading Schematic" Market Map.
Articles by 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.
Market Reform
Articles about market reform – in the NEM and elsewhere.
6 enduring challenges for competitive electricity markets
Reflection on whether the core challenges for market operators (and other core stakeholders) have varied at all from the listing of issues compiled for the Association of Power Exchanges back in 1997.
… and the winner is?
So who was the winner of our "Best Demand Forecaster in the NEM" competition for summer 2010-11?
Analysis of demand over summer 2010-11
Some analysis of how NEM-wide demand trended through summer 2010-11, and what this meant on a regional level.
Hot day in QLD drives regional demand close to the record
The temperature reached 34 degrees in Brisbane today – with thunderstorms predicted to sweep through the south-east corner, bringing with them a cool change and localised disruptions to power supplies. In the following snapshot...
Only 709MW of spare generation capacity in NSW at 15:40
A quick note about the tight supply/demand balance in NSW today - by virtue for high demand and constrained interconnector capability.
NQ transmission grid escapes unscathed, but demand is very low
A quick look at how North Queensland looks, the morning after TC Yasi
North Queensland Powers down with TC Yasi underway
As the Courier Mail tweets that 89,000 people in Townsville and Cairns are without power as TC Yasi approaches, I thought the following chart (taken from our ez2view application) might explain a bit of...
The extremes continue in the NEM
More extreme weather drives extreme demand and extreme prices - on Wednesday 2nd February.
NEM-wide demand higher still, as NSW regional demand eclipses record
An illustration of the high demand and volatility on Tuesday 1st February.
High temperatures drive NEM-wide demand to 34,400MW
Some snapshots of a day in which NEM-wide demand soared, driven by high temperatures across the middle of Australia.
What’s the consensus view of where the market thinks the NEM-wide demand will end up
Some analysis of entries received in our "Who'd the Best Demand Forecaster in the NEM" competition for summer 2010-11
Summer strikes in QLD, with demand shooting up (and prices see-sawing)
Some images of the see-saw of prices in QLD with the high demand day today.
The hot weather arrives, but demand stays low
Some NEM-Watch snapshots illustrating one of the first days that temperatures have risen in the NEM this summer.
Are you the best demand forecaster in the NEM this summer?
Our Christmas competition is back. For those of you who are soldiering through the silly season, keeping the lights on in the NEM, here's some light-hearted relief (and the chance to prove yourself the...
Summer 2010-11 in the NEM
Some articles, as we put them together, focused on events of summer 2010-11
A very modest start to summer peak demands
Some quick notes about how levels of demand are, so far this summer, much lower than they have been in recent years.
How the drought of 2007 affected specific power stations
I have been asked a couple of times recently, by new entrants to the NEM, about the impact of the drought in 2007 on generation levels around the NEM. This prompted me to look...
Concerns about Rising Costs in the Wholesale Spot Market
A listing of some drivers for higher (and, in some cases, lower) prices in the wholesale spot component of the NEM.