Winter 2017 in the NEM
A collection of articles posted about Winter 2017 in the NEM
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.
The ‘Finkel Review’ released on 1st June 2017
A belated link to the Finkel Review.
2 x Loy Yang A units offline this afternoon
Two units temporarily offline at Loy Yang A on Monday 8th May (not without coincidence/conspiracy theories)
Warnings of load shedding in Victoria and South Australia on Thursday 11th May, and larger on Monday 15th May
Autumn 2017 continues the very rocky experience that's become "new normal" for the National Electricity Market - with warnings of load shedding for Victoria and South Australia this...
More trouble brewing at Loy Yang A power station – with strike action called
A quick look at the market, following announcement of industrial action next week at Loy Yang A power station
Aggregate rate of wind production across South Australia breaks the all-time record
New record rate of wind power production in South Australia reached towards midnight at the end of Tuesday 25th April
Aggregate Wind Farm output across South Australia topped 1,400MW for the first time – on 9th April, with more to come
Total wind output (aggregated across all wind farms in South Australia) established a new record on Sunday 9th April.
High Regulation FCAS Prices on Tuesday 18th April in South Australia
Quick review of a spike in FCAS Prices in South Australia on Tuesday 18th April 2017 - leading to Administered Pricing for Raise Regulation Services.
Ararat Wind Farm at full capacity
Brief note about completion of construction at Ararat Wind Farm
Noteworthy analysis of the state-wide blackout across South Australia on 28th September 2016
A listing of key reports and analysis into the SA blackout of 28th September 2016.
End of an era at Hazelwood
A record of the closure of Hazelwood this week - and some initial thoughts on the implications
[POSTED 13:40] TC Debbie dampens electricity consumption in Queensland
A quick look (posted 13:40) at electricity consumption in Northern Queensland with the onset of Tropical Cyclone Debbie
On batteries, and “fixing South Australia’s problems”
Some quick thoughts about Tesla's promise to "fix South Australia's power woes". Which specific problem is Tesla promising to fix?
With the closure of Hazelwood looming, hedge contract prices climb skywards
Ominous signs for spot price outcomes through Q2 2016 in Victoria, as hedge contract prices climb prior to the imminent closure of Hazelwood.
[UPDATED] AEMO Market Notice on “High Impact Outage” for tomorrow – and possible effect in South Australia
AEMO issues a Market Notice for a "High Impact Outage" - a term not used since 2012.
Collective skittishness about South Australia?
With high temperatures forecast for SA (hence higher demand) coinciding with low wind, social media references to "blackout" increase. Is this helpful?
Autumn 2017 in the NEM
Collection of articles written for Autumn 2017
EnerNOC seems to have grossly under-represented the amount of Demand Response active in the NEM
The level of Demand Response currently active in Australia's National Electricity Market is higher than some are estimating.
Question – in an interconnected electricity system (and market), when did it become acceptable to neglect a systems view?
Because of (technical and commercial) interconnectedness in the National Electricity Market, the possibility of unintended consequences should be kept in mind
Analytical Challenge – keeping an open mind to positions expressed by a broad range of people
"Incumbency" seems to have become a pejorative in the NEM