Peak Wind Output in the NEM has climbed above 4000MW
A large block of green (signifying wind) in our NEMwatch dashboard this morning prompts a look at what the all-time maximum production is these days...
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 twenty year review of Marginal Loss Factors
Last week the AEMO released a draft of the Marginal Loss Factors (MLFs) that would apply to both generation and loads connected to the NEM. This page on the AEMO site links to more...
The death* of “baseload” and rise of “cycling”
A quick article highlighting how the trend in aggregate number of unit starts, across the whole of the NEM, highlights the scale of one of the core underlying changes (and challenges) facing us in...
Some thoughts about Demand Response, in parallel with AEMC deliberations
A collection of thoughts that have been bumping around in my head for some time about the latest push by various parties to facilitate a broader range of demand response in the NEM, and...
Villain #6c – Demand Response is not a magic wand
A note of caution, that Demand Response is not a magic wand - it *can* achieve a lot, but if can't be assumed to automatically appear to bridge any gap between supply and demand...
Villain #5d – obsessing about Negawatts, when the real objective is (broader) Demand Response
One more example of not focusing on the real problems seems to be a tendency for some to obsess about one narrow type of Demand Response (i.e. dispatch of NegaWatts) whilst seeming to lose...
A brief look back at reactions to negative prices in the 14:30 trading period on Friday 1st March 2019
Yesterday I noted what appeared to be trips of two solar farms - Gannawarra and Karadoc - within a single dispatch interval and coincident with a period of volatile prices. Also yesterday, Dylan McConnell...
Price volatility in VIC and SA on Friday 1st March
Some quick notes about the volatility seen in the NEM on Friday 1st March 2019 - a hot day in Victoria and South Australia, the first day of Autumn.
A (preliminary) Intermediate Guide to How Prices are Set in the NEM
In the process of assembling a long-range data set on how much every single generator has contributed to the price of Energy in each Region of the NEM (which we're doing for our Generator...
It’s heating up, in Victoria and South Australia for Friday 1st March
An AEMO Market Notice about "Generator Recall" for Friday's forecast hot weather in South Australia and Victoria prompts a quick look at what's changed in the forecast that would prompt this action.
Factors contributing to an unforeseen price spike in NSW at 16:15 on Thursday 31st January 2019
Taking a brief (well, actually longer than intended) look into the various factors that delivered a price spike above $10,000/MWh on Thursday 31st January in NSW - and thinking through the implications for one...
New all-time record for electricity demand in Queensland on Wednesday 13th February 2019
The Queensland region of the NEM saw a new all-time record for peak electricity demand today (Wed 13th February 2019) by several different measures. A bit later in the evening we take a brief...
Very preliminary review of Quantity and Quality of Rebids suggests some interesting details…
As part of the process of compilation of our Generator Report Card 2018, we're delving into quite some detail into various aspects of generator bidding and re-bidding. Today I thought it might be useful...
Looks set for a peak demand in QLD on Wednesday up near the all-time maximum
Currently (as at Monday morning 11th February) AEMO forecasts indicate that Queensland electricity demand on Wednesday afternoon will come very close to an all-time record.
AGL Investor Presentation reports on Portfolio Availability–we take a look for key Stations
AGL released its investor presentation yesterday - several people flagged the availability stats within the presentation (they knew we were looking at aspects of reliability for our Generator Report Card 2018). Hence I take...
Two points about the high demand & prices, and the load shedding, on Friday 25th January 2019
Two quick notes about what happened in Victoria on Friday 25th January 2019 following conversations with a number of people.
The north Queensland deluge cuts solar production
A quick look at the effect that the monsoonal rains in northern Queensland are having on several power generation options in northern Queensland.
Looking backwards over the past 2 weeks in the NEM
Back at work this week and (with curiosity getting the better of me) I have another look at what happened last Thursday and Friday in the South Australian and Victorian regions of the NEM.
My first look at the highs, and lows, in Victoria and South Australia on Thursday 24th January 2019
A first look at some of the action seen in the southern parts of the NEM on Thursday 24th January 2019 as a result of the latest crazy heatwave that has afflicted central Australia...
Hot weather forecast to drive demand past 31,000MW next Tuesday 15th January
With high temperatures forecast to return to the NEM next week, we take a quick look at the AEMO's demand forecast.