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...
Guest Author
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...