Summer 2010-11 in the NEM
Some articles, as we put them together, focused on events of summer 2010-11
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.
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.
Fuel Costs – some views supporting higher electricity prices in the future
Some thoughts about drivers supporting higher fuel costs - and hence driving electricity prices higher in future (assembled from comments made at EUAA events, and elsewhere).
Trend in annual Generator Utilisation by Region
A trend in annual average utilisation of generation plant, aggregated by region, over each year since the start of the NEM.
Price hits the new Market Price Cap in NSW this morning
Some quick notes about a price spike to the (newly raised) Market Price Cap in NSW this morning
Tassie price spike on Sunday
Some quick notes about a price spike this evening in Tasmania.
Fuel Supplies in the NEM
Some articles, as they are prepared, in relation to fuel supplies in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM). This could be to do with coal supplies, or gas supplies, or in relation to other fuel.
Some possible implications of the takeover bid for Centennial Coal
Preliminary thoughts about some of the possible implications of the agreed takeover of Centennial Coal by Thailand's Banpu, and the long-term strategy to re-balance coal supplies evenly between domestic supplies to the National Electricity...
Trend in generation by fuel type
Brief analysis of the trend in production (across the NEM) by fuel type.
Brief recap on the historical trend in spot prices in the NEM
Some analysis of the way in which prices in the Australian National Electricity Market have trended over time, from as far back as 1994 (in the markets that were precursors to the NEM). Post...
Miscellaneous Analysis
Posts that don’t fit neatly into any other category.
Historical Distributions in Spot Prices
Colourful distribution of spot prices - for each year of 11.5 years of NEM history. Clearly see the trend over time.
Prices see-saw over the full $13,250/MWh price range – but it’s all revised!
A record of how a day of see-sawing prices appeared (in real time) in NEM-Watch Note that the high prices have since been revised, but the low prices (down to -$1000/MWh) remain, at least...
Background to Winter 2010 in the NEM
Inspired by the price spike experienced this evening, I have spent a little time to put together the background to winters in the NEM. This will be useful in understanding the context of any...
Winter 2010 in the NEM
Various articles about Winter 2010 in the NEM
Cold snap brings price spike in NSW
A price spike close to the Market Price Cap in NSW this evening provides an spur to do some quick analysis.
Escalating Capital Requirements
Some notes (which will be updated later) about capital requirements for the Australian Electricity Supply Industry
My synopsis of Opportunities & Threats for Energy Users
A high-level summary of some concerns of energy users, linked to a (progressively) growing number of more detailed posts that will be added over time.