Uncharted territory for rooftop PV in South Australia
Hot on the heels of a new low point for Operational Demand in South Australia on the weekend, this evening AEMO warns of an ‘elevated risk of contingent...
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.
Sequence of events in Tasmania on Friday 14th October 2022 (initial look)
On Friday 14th October we saw a significant system event in Tasmania - with storms downing power links, leading to large (530MW) loss of load and trip of...
530MW loss of electrical load in Tasmania on Friday 14th October 2022
Some quick notes of a sizeable loss of load in Tasmania and a volatility situation that is ongoing as I hit 'publish' at 11:50 NEM time.
Loy Yang A2 slips back – now RTS on Thu 27th October 2022
Third article today about major outages - this one looking at current expectations for RTS for Loy Yang A2 after some apparent slippage.
Callide C4 still scheduled for RTS on 7th April 2023
Spurred by the extended outage at Kogan Creek, we also take a quick look at current expectations for Callide C4.
Kogan Creek Power Station major overhaul extended to 18th December (unexpected stator and rotor issues)
One of many articles in the AFR this week flagged an extension of major outage on Kogan Creek Power Station. In this article we take a quick initial...
EY-ROAM modelling for Queensland Energy Plan released
It's under 2 weeks since the Queensland Government released its much-awaited Energy Policy. Some reports into the modelling behind this (from EY-ROAM) has been released.
How much capacity would be required to replace Loy Yang A power station?
Following the published note of scepticism/concern about the energy transition from several industry CEOs in the AFR on Friday, we take a quick look at the replacement capacity...
Analytical challenge (or beginner mistake!) – understanding the difference between a MW and a MWh
Reposting a portion of an article we published some years ago, to help readers understand the difference between a MW and a MWh.
AEMO briefly forecasts load shedding for NSW on Saturday morning 8th October (possibly data glitch?)
A quick initial look at (what appears to be) a strange aberration in the AEMO forecast data, with load shedding briefly forecast in NSW tomorrow morning.
‘Market Demand’ in Victoria drops to a new low point on Sunday 2nd October 2022 … and ‘Operational Demand’ as well
A short article with the Victorian 'Market Demand' dropping to new low point for minimum demand on Sunday 2nd October 2022.
*Was* solar production disappointingly low through (parts of) Q2 2022 … and, if so, why?
It's taken longer than expected - but today I've posted this article that goes some way to answering the question 'to what extent was solar production disappointing through...
AGL announces that they might close Loy Yang A as early as 2035 … 10 years earlier than previously stated
Also on Thursday 29th September 2022 we had AGL Energy's 'earlier than previously stated' closure announcement for Loy Yang A power station.
Tag team releases today– ESB’s ‘Health of the NEM’ and AER’s ‘State of the Energy Market’
Two headline reports (one from the ESB, one from the AER) released today, so readers can consider them together.
Analytical Challenge – remembering to consider that *Other* Dimension of Time
In this article we explain a different (and sometimes quite powerful) way of reviewing some performance metrics in relation to the passage of another dimension of time.
QLD Government releases ‘Energy and Jobs Plan’
On Wednesday 28th September 2022 the Queensland Government has launched its much awaited Energy Policy.
Analytical Challenge – choosing what measure to use, for ‘Installed Capacity’
Prompted by a number of different factors in recent times, in this article we explain why assessing a units 'Installed Capacity' is significantly more complex than it might...
Minimum Demand drops lower, on Sunday 25th September 2022 – for the NSW region, and also NEMwide
A short article on Sunday 25th September 2022 to record some new low points for 'minimum demand' in the NSW region, and on a NEMwide basis.
Two charts from ‘Smart Energy Queensland’ presentation, illustrating the electricity supply mix in Queensland
Following a presentation today at 'Smart Energy Queensland' here are two slides to start with - illustrating the fuel mix in electricity supplies in the NEM.
AEMC published final determination for ‘Primary frequency response incentive arrangements’
Some brief notes about the publication by the AEMC (on Thu 8th Sept 2022) of the Final Determination with respect to PFR Incentive Arrangements.