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
guest author
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).
Initial Analysis: SA Load Shedding Wed 8 Feb 2017
A look at the supply/demand fundamentals in South Australia and explaining why load shedding was initiated.
Southern NEM demand awakes from slumber
Hot weather in Adelaide and Melbourne driving an interesting outlook for Thursday
The ‘other’ factors driving price volatility in the NEM
One of the more recent developments we’ve observed in the NEM is the downward trend in gas powered generation, raising concerns as to whether there is more pain to come for east coast industrial consumers.
Overview: NSW & Qld Price Volatility, Monday 6 Feb 2017
Very high demands in NSW and “more of the same” in Queensland saw significant price volatility yesterday, with the two states behaving like one larger NEM region
Overview: Queensland volatility 1-2 Feb 2017
A volatile couple of days in Queensland, with demand response evident
Initial Review: NEM-wide Price Event, Monday 30 Jan 2017
Extremely hot weather in NSW and the NEM’s underappreciated “rail gauge mismatch” contributed to a sharp multi-state price spike during the afternoon peak
Quick Review: $13,800/MWh Queensland spike Mon Jan 30
Quick review of an isolated early morning spike in Queensland
Initial Review: $14,000/MWh Spike in Qld, Fri 27 Jan 2017
A look at last Friday’s short sharp price spike in Queensland and why it led to negative settlement residues on the interconnection with NSW
Review of the NEM in 2016
Electricity consumption in the National Electricity Market (NEM) increased by 0.8% in 2016, this is on top of a 1.1% increase in 2015. Queensland and NSW experienced increases in consumption with all other states experiencing a reduction.