Sunday 24th Jan 2021 (part 2) – down to the wire (because of bushfire) in South Australia
Second article today, focusing on what happened late in the afternoon and into the evening in South Australia.
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.
Sunday 24th Jan 2021 – a couple discrete incidents
It was forecast it would be a hot day in the southern part of the NEM and it did not disappoint. The hot weather was one of the factors that contributed to price spikes...
High temperatures, and high demand, forecast for Monday 25th January 2021
Following several different warnings of high temperatures forecast for the lead-in to Tuesday 26th January 2021 (whatever you want to call that day) I've taken a quick look at what it's currently forecast to...
Yesterday’s unexpected loss of ~500MW of rooftop PV in South Australia (another type of Contingency event – Credible, or Non-Credible?)
Wednesday 13th January 2021 was a busy day in the NEM, with a couple of different events occurring. In this article we explore a sudden and unexpected drop in output across both rooftop PV...
NEM Local Temperature alert for Dalby (QLD) for Sat 16th Jan 2021 … an opportunity to check the draft GSD2020
Today (Wed 13th Jan 2021) a high temperature alert published by AEMO for the Dalby area in southern QLD prompted a quick look at what the GSD2020 shows, in terms of high-temperature limitations of...
Both units trip at Callide C on Wednesday 13th January 2021
A pretty rare event in the NEM, when two units trip simultaneously ... so a short article on WattClarity as a result.
Cranking the handle, to produce the Generator Statistical Digest 2020
In the same week that the Energy Security Board publishes it's 'The Health of the NEM' reports, looking from a top-down systems perspective, we crank the handle to produce the 'Generator Statistical Digest 2020'...
Status update, on availability of the 48x remaining coal units across Q1 2021
Using an in-development (but soon to be released) widget in ez2view we take a look at forecast availability for coal units in NSW, VIC and QLD for the critical, and normally volatile, Q1 period...
Bottom falls out of electricity demand in VIC on Christmas Day 2020
Short note about what might be a new record low point for electricity demand in Victoria on Christmas Day 2020.
Temperature Alert!
As we wind down for Christmas, recapping some developments (in Nov and Dec 2020) about high temperature limitations on generation technology across the NEM.
How aggregate production from Wind and Large Solar in NSW dropped last week – one factor contributing to price spikes and Reserve Trader
An unfortunately timed significant slump in output across all Wind and Large Solar plant in NSW was another of the factors contributing to the price volatility seen in NSW last week.
What’s up with the fleet of 16 x coal-fired units in NSW?
Following a week where several days saw price volatility in NSW (with this being so extreme that Reserve Trader was triggered on Thursday 17th December) we've taken a look at the comparative performance of...
Liddell unit 3 out till perhaps March 2021 after transformer incident (serious injury to one person)
The publication by AGL Energy of the short note about the transformer incident (and injured worker) at Liddell unit 3 yesterday prompted me to have a quick look, following on from the volatility this...
Price volatility (third day in a row) … and Reserve Trader dispatched in NSW
Third day in a row we see volatility in NSW (and QLD) ... and this afternoon AEMO contracts, and then dispatches, Reserve Trader in NSW
More price volatility in (QLD and) NSW on Wednesday 16th December 2020
Second day in a row the price spikes in the NSW region ... higher and longer than yesterday. Low aggregate production from Wind and Large Solar across NSW today was clearly one other factor...
Short price spike in NSW on Tuesday 15th December 2020
A quick look at a spike in NSW price this afternoon above $3,000/MWh due to a number of different factors ... including a trip of unit 3 at Eraring coal-fired power station.
Making demand response work with negative prices
A recent development over in the WEM (paying energy users to consume, when there's too much solar and wind) highlights the lack of foresight in the NEM ... where we've implemented a significant reform...
Surprise LOR2 (Low Reserve Condition) forecast for QLD next Monday afternoon, 30th November 2020
Prompted by an SMS alert this evening, we take a look at the tight supply/demand balance currently forecast for the QLD region on Monday afternoon next week (30th Nov 2020).
More pain ahead for non-synchronous units … a bigger ‘rhombus of regret’ in western NSW & VIC
From tomorrow (Fri 20th Nov) market participants in south-western NSW and north-western VIC will need to grapple with yet another transmission constraint seeking to 'constraint down' their output when it's sunny and/or windy. This...
AEMC publishes draft rule change for Semi-Scheduled generators
Today (Thu 19th Nov 2020) the AEMC published a draft ruling following the AER request for a rule change relating to Semi-Scheduled generators ... which itself followed from two COAG Energy Council requests to...