Transition Fooled?
Through the lens of the GSD2020, Allan O’Neil looks at the much-discussed role of gas-fired generation in the ‘energy transition’ of the NEM’s generation sector
guest author
The Generator Statistical Digest 2020 (GSD2020) is released
From Monday 1st Feb 2021 the (720-page) Generator Statistical Digest 2020 is more broadly available – here’s some of what’s in it, and how you can access. Those dozens of clients who had submitted earlier pre-orders were provided early access on Friday 29th Jan 2021.
Maximising the benefit of renewables with an intelligent energy management system
Following a presentation to the EESA in September, Dr Robert May and Ashley Nicholls from SA Water have written a case study detailing the sophisticated energy management system that they have developed over the past 7 years.
Constraint Case Study Followup – Early outcomes of the new “X5 constraint”
On 25th November, guest author Allan O’Neil examined the ‘X5 Constraint’. Two weeks of operation have passed, so now Allan reviews some of what’s happened.
NSW renewable energy plan seals death warrant for six gigawatts of coal
David Leitch and Ben Willacy of ITK Services provide analysis of the NSW Government’s recently announced renewable energy plan.
What’s “Primary Frequency Response” and why does it matter anyway?
Paul McArdle recently drew my attention to a short Twitter thread started by David Osmond on the arcane topic of NEM system frequency behaviour: At Paul’s invitation I’ve dived further into this issue to fill in some background, provide…
Batteries vs. peaking plants – a case study from 13 October
UQ’s Andrew Wilson pens a case study on the market events that occured on Tuesday the 13th of October in the QLD region, in which he examines the relative performance of UQ’s 1.1MW behind-the-meter battery during this period of market volatility.
Questions prompted by that chart from the ‘Renewable Integration Study’
Patricia Boyce examines a chart that was included in the AEMO’s Renewable Integration Study, which depicted actual and modelled solar and wind generation output against underlying demand. She then looks at whether intermittent generators can achieve sufficient return and discusses the problems that still need to be solved.
‘The Market’ means different timescales
From a longer article by guest author Stephen Wilson titled ‘Does the NEM need to be redesigned?’ we have extracted Stephen’s reminder that ‘The Market means different timescales’.
Does the NEM need to be redesigned?
Guest author Stephen Wilson chaired an ‘ESIG Down Under’ conference webinar on ‘Designing the Energy Markets of the Future’. Whilst introducing the session, Stephen presented a diagram that helped to clarify the combination of different time horizons that need to be considered in holistically describing ‘the Market’. It will be of interest to WattClarity readers.
Which state pays for interconnectors?
Ben Skinner from the Australian Energy Council examines how transmission is currently funded in the NEM.
How have you already overcome reported barriers to participating in Demand Response in the National Electricity Market?
University of Queensland PhD candidate, Nicole Lashmar, is conducting a research project which aims to identify the motivations, risks and opportunities for businesses when deciding to participate in demand response programs.
Seasonality and deep storage in a highly decarbonized NEM
David Leitch of ITK Services examines the seasonal effects of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) and some underlying challenges in this energy transition [this article is based on presentation at ‘Smart Energy Virtual’ on Wed 9th Sept 2020]
ESOO 2020 – What a difference a year makes
Guest author, Allan O’Neil, takes a look at the AEMO’s 2020 ESOO to unpick the reason for the differences in outlook (and the sensationalised news headlines) compared to 2019 ESOO.
Quantifying pandemic effects on power demand in Australia’s National Electricity Market
Guest author, Mark Todoroff, examines operational demand figures for each region to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on the NEM.
Analysis of my home battery + solar system’s first year performance
Guest author, Andrew Wilson, reviews the performance of his home solar + battery system at the one year mark after installation.
5-minute settlement – Why it makes such a difference to utility scale storage in Australia’s National Electricity Market
Guest author, Warwick Forster, examines the delayed but impending move to 5-minute settlement for the NEM and the potential effects on utility scale storage.
Mapping the impact of COVID-19 on electricity demand in Victoria
Jill Cainey from Energy Networks Australia maps the impact of COVID-19 on residential and business energy consumption in Victoria.
Why controlling residential solar inverters is more complicated than it appears
SwitchDin’s Joseph Kassouf examines the real-world challenges of coordinating control of rooftop solar inverters.
DER Visibility and Monitoring Best Practice Guide – real time data is key to industry growth
Several stakeholders within the DER industry have come together to publish a best practice guide specifying the data required to enable aspects of the next iteration of our electricity network. Our guest author, Stefan Jarnason of Solar Analytics, writes about the need for real time DER data and explains aspects of the guide.