Four NEM-related themes from COP29
After returning from COP29 in Baku, Dan shares his thoughts about energy transition challenges in international electricity markets, and how they intersect with what we’re seeing in the NEM.
Read MoreOutside the NEM (including international)
Articles that look at the energy transition and electricity markets in other parts of the world, including:
1) Different electricity grids and markets internationally;
2) But also different parts of Australia not connected to the NEM e.g. Western Australia.
Power outage in Western Australia (incl Kalgoorlie) from Wed 17th Jan 2024
A short record of a significant power outage in Western Australia in January 2024.
In November 2023, FERC released Final Report on lessons from Winter Storm Elliott (the Christmas 2022 storm)
Pointing WattClarity readers to FERC’s Final Report into Winter Storm Elliott (the Christmas 2022 storm that contributed to power outages for millions of electricity customers in the Eastern half of North America).
Research Paper into solar resource intermittency in future (in a climate changed world)
A quick article on WattClarity pointing to some research completed by Shukla Poddar and others about what future solar profile might be across Australia, in a climate changed world.
Timestamping Renewable Energy Certificates is a Bad Idea.
Tom Geiser argues against time-stamped Renewable Energy Certificates – and how the concept could impact trade, accuracy, market signals and other factors.
Coal generation gets a run in the UK to ensure supply meets demand
Another quick article today – this to record the rare use of coal in the UK on a cold evening with insufficient other supply.
Darwin to Dili: The contrasting challenges in Timor-Leste during an energy transition
Dan Lee provides this write-up of a recent study tour to Timor-Leste and reflects on lessons learned about how the transition is affecting developing nations.
Tis the season … for a ‘bomb cyclone’ in North America that stretches wholesale supplies of electricity (and leaves >1M customers off supply with localised network outages)
All’s been quiet in the Australian National Electricity Market … which is not the same as the situation in North America, where extreme cold has stretched supplies across a large swathe of the country and storms have disrupted supply to more than a million people.
Explosion at Eskom’s Medupi Unit 4 in South Africa at 22:50 on Sunday 8th August 2021
Hydrogen explosion in South Africa (at Eskom’s Medupi unit) will inevitably draw comparisons to the explosion at Callide C4 on 25th May 2021. Use caution in following those links!
Power system stress – with record demand and insufficient supply in New Zealand on Monday 9th August 2021
Following a tight supply-demand balance in New Zealand on a winter Monday evening 9th August 2021, leading to unserved energy, here’s a quick review of what information I could find.
Reflections (from afar) on the electricity shortages and load shedding in Texas
Watching what’s unfolded in Texas over the past 24 hours has been rather disconcerting … but also prompted questions about the broader energy transition. Here are some thoughts.
Initial thoughts and questions about last Friday’s under-frequency load shedding in Great Britain
Some brief data gathering and analysis, primarily because I could not resist the exploration, of what might have happened with the load shedding in the electricity grid across England, Wales and Scotland on Friday last week.
Some very preliminary details of the possible causes of the Argentinian Blackout
Some very preliminary information (based on an internet search) about factors that might have contributed to the blackout in Argentina and neighbouring parts of South America this week.
The new energy ecosystem
Transformation in the electricity industry is occurring at an astounding rate. What’s more, it’s happening globally and Australia is pretty much ground zero. As a result, a new energy ecosystem is emerging. Accenture has recently released three reports which cover different aspects of this new ecosystem. These are the ‘New Energy Consumer’ report, ‘Digitally Enabled Grid’ report and the combined report for the ENA and CSIRO titled ‘Insights from Global Jurisdictions and Evolving Business Models’.
The opacity of distributed, small-scale solar PV output
A comparison of the output of the two different estimates now available for aggregate state-wide output from small-scale solar PV systems – the ARENA-funded APVI method, and a new method from AEMO
Three sample approaches (of 173 worldwide) to integrating renewables into the grid
We saw Ryan Wavish present on this topic at All Energy 2014, and invited him to write an article for WattClarity highlighting some of the learnings of the ARENA-funded study.
Thoughts on a “Diabolical Problem”
A few quick notes about the recent moves in the USA towards a national emissions trading system, and implications for Australia – following a presentation by a US consultant.
Earth Hour 2009 – Impact on Australia’s National Electricity Market
The third Earth Hour event has yet again spurred fierce debate. As commentators come to accept the fact that Earth Hour is a largely symbolic occasion, the question is raised – what needs to happen next to provide a real, tangible, long term benefit in terms of greenhouse gas reductions?