September Update: More Regulation on the Retail Side
Following from my August update, here’s two developments we have seen in relation to retail & networks regulation.
guest author
Decoding AEMO’s latest ESOO–will the lights stay on this summer?
Some initial analysis by our guest author, Allan O’Neil, about what AEMO’s Statement of Opportunities 2017 is saying in terms of this coming summer 2017-18
What does “Unserved Energy” actually mean – a brief explainer
A brief explainer of what “Unserved Energy” (or USE) actually means, in the context of the AEMO “Electricity Statement of Opportunities 2017” (ESOO) released this week.
August Update: Regulatory Responses to Pricing Concern
Some thoughts from guest author, Connor James, about “what’s next” in response to energy user concerns about high and escalating prices.
Cloud patterns on Friday 19th May 2017 – leading to a day of low Solar PV output, NEM-wide
Following Wednesday’s article by Paul McArdle on WattClarity, we’ve reviewed the (very cloudy) weather patterns for Friday 19th May 2017, and the accuracy of Solcast’s predictions of a day of low solar PV output
Cost Confusion
Our guest author, Allan O’Neil, posts an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of an increasingly popular metric – the LCOE (or Levellised Cost of Energy)
Energy Supply Disruption – Understand the Customer Drivers
The energy supply industry is now a case study of major disruption and this is causing chaos. We are now witnessing the simultaneous high prices in electricity and gas – importantly at the commodity level – not network driven this time – although that just changed with the AER loss – more petrol on the fire.
More about wind output and AEMO’s intervention in South Australia 25-26 April
A closer look at AEMO’s actions during a period of high windfarm output in SA last week
Adding a Slice of Cheese
The South Australian Blackout of 28th September 2016 is not as simple as it looks.
A sudden series of SA spikes
Tight import limits on the Heywood interconnector and a lull in wind output saw price volatility return to South Australia earlier this week
NEM FCAS causer pays factor issues for wind and solar farms
Generators used to consider the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) FCAS causers pays factors (CPF), used to allocate FCAS regulation costs across the market, as an obscure and unimportant technically challenging curiosity. Since 2014, the cost of FCAS regulation services for generators has increased from just under $5 million per year to greater than $60 million for 2016 and now has the attention of all of the generators, especially if their portfolio includes generation assets in regions with a lack of FCAS regulation providers and high prices such as South Australia.
Fast Frequency Service – Treating the symptom not the cause?
The National Electricity Market (NEM) is designed to operate at 50 Hz. Frequency deviation occurs when generation and load are mismatched. It is important in a lightly meshed and long network such as the NEM to maintain tight frequency control and that frequency response is available throughout the network.
Let’s talk about FCAS
Ancillary Services Matter! No longer just realm of electrical engineer or energy trading boffins, ancillary services (and particularly Frequency Control Ancillary Services or FCAS which will concentrate on today) have become front and centre in so many ways that barely a day goes by without market observers referring to grid stability, inertia or frequency management.
Where is the east coast domgas development boom?
When markets operate normally, a sharp rise in the price of any commodity triggers a boom in exploration, development and new supply. But this is not seeming to happen in response to high domestic gas prices. In this article, guest author (Graeme Bethune) examines why.
Was South Australia lucky the lights stayed on last Friday?
Last Friday’s events took South Australia much closer to the brink of another Black System event than many seem to have realised
Small solar owners saved the NSW electricity market $888 million during heatwave
New South Wales recently experienced a severe heatwave, which saw parts of the state exceed 45°C. During this three day period, small solar PV (i.e. PV systems that are not registered as generators in the NEM), generated about 17 GWh of power.
How tight demand/supply situations can make solar forecasting important
NSW demand rose to a near-record high on Friday the 10th of February, and QLD soared to a new record demand on that Sunday, amidst an intense heatwave. While this heat-stressed our electricity markets and infrastructure, the nation’s rooftop solar PV systems were providing critical load reduction under plentiful sunshine.
Five fixes for the NEM
Load shedding in South Australia on Wednesday 8 February and successive ‘close shaves’ in NSW and Queensland as the heatwave spread north have exposed serious weaknesses in the national electricity market (NEM).
Key Events Timeline – NSW Friday 10 Feb 2017
A summary timeline of how last Friday’s “white knuckle ride” in NSW evolved, highlighting key events on the day.
Examining why Pelican Point didn’t bid full capacity into the NEM on Wednesday 8 February
Some thoughts by our guest author, about possible reasons why Engie did not bid full output of Pelican Point power station into AEMO on Wednesday 8th February (i.e. the time at which load shedding eventuated).