Let’s Talk About (Operating) Reserves
A team of academics at UNSW explain operating reserves and analyse the case for implementing an operating reserve service in the NEM.
guest author
Two Wrongs Don’t Make a REZ
Tom Geiser discusses transmission access and the efficacy of Renewable Energy Zones. He examines what the underlying problems are and how they can be solved directly.
Eating the NEM’s Q2 Elephant – An Appetizer
An old adage runs that to eat an elephant, it’s best to proceed in small servings. With a very eventful Q2 in the NEM not yet finished, the number of headline events is already large enough – unexpected price volatility…
Callide C Event Fallout
Carl Daley of EnergyByte examines the ramifications of the Callide Power Station outage and discusses the big losers and winners from the situation.
10 million reasons why we need to talk about NEM generator operations
James Tetlow from Overwatch Energy explains an important rule change that was recently introduced that has seen a significant increase in the civil penalties for generators who fail to follow operating rules.
Callide C Catastrophic Failure
Carl Daley from EnergyByte, provides more insight into the events of last Tuesday, which culminated in widespread blackouts throughout Queensland.
The ‘Virtual Storage Product’ as a game-changing energy deal
Caroline Wykamp and Hydro Tasmania’s wholesale team discuss the new ‘virtual storage’ electricity swap contract that they have recently brokered with Renewable Energy Hub.
Big Batteries – big issues!
Guest author, Carl Daley, investigates why big batteries weren’t able to fully capitalise on extreme spot prices in SA on Friday 12th March.
Down 55% – but not out
Over 2,000 MW – or around 55% – of South Australia’s firm supply capacity was unavailable last Friday evening (March 12, 2021), along with virtually all of its large-scale renewable supply (a further 1,800 MW or so) but the lights…
How my power company is misleading me with every bill I get, and what this means for other consumers
After reviewing a monthly electricity bill for 2021, Murray Hogarth of Wattwatchers discusses issues arising from ‘smart meters’ and how a lack of accurate data for electricity consumption may be misleading many consumers.
100% Renewables – A year in practice
Adam Clarke from The City of Newcastle local government publishes this detailed look at what operating on a 100% renewable electricity contract looks like in practice, a year on.
Lets talk about demand
David Leitch of ITK Services examines how electricity is losing its share of energy consumption in Australia, while also looking at the main drivers behind lower electricity demand this Summer compared to the previous year.
Spot price arbitrage with battery storage – a review of 2020 performance
With UQ recently publishing a performance review of their 1.1MW battery project for the 2020 calendar year, Andrew Wilson posts some extracts from the full report, particularly focusing on the battery’s arbitrage function.
What does the GSD2020 reveal, about the challenges facing the 12 x AGL coal-fired units
Guest author, Nick Bartels, follows on from his article last week to see what the GSD2020 can inform of the challenges AGL Energy is facing with Bayswater, Liddell and Loy Yang A coal-fired power stations
Analysis of Large Thermals using the GSD2020
Guest author, Nick Bartels, compares calendar year results from GSD2020 to those in the earlier GSD2019 to explore how some thermal units in QLD and SA are changing operating patterns as part of the energy transition
What’s it like being on a real-time electricity pricing plan? Observations from my poorly insulated townhouse
Guest author and Economist at Monash University, Gordon Leslie, shares his personal experiences since switching to a real-time retail electricity plan.
Quarterly Renewables Wrap – Q1 2021
Ben Willacy of ITK Services provides his quarterly update on renewable project connection, commissioning, construction and commitment activity for Q1 2021.
Highlights from the 2020 GSD
David Leitch highlights some themes that stuck out to him as he read through this year’s edition of the Generator Statistical Digest – including a look at how batteries are dominating the FCAS market, some surprises with capacity factor, and other things
Energy Transition: it was Full Steam ahead in 2020!
New guest author to WattClarity, Mark Stedwell, uses the GSD2020 to explore what happened in 2020 as part of the Energy Transition
Supply side price drivers in the NEM
Ben Willacy of ITK Services examines the GSD2020 and seeks to highlight what the report can tell us about supply side price drivers in the NEM