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.
Seasonal Record of Events in the Market
Collections of events that we see happening in the NEM, categorised in terms of the seasons in which they occur.
AGL Energy announces $2.6b impairment … of which $1.9b for legacy wind farm off-take agreements
Today AGL Energy announces a big impairment … with a big chunk related to long-term wind offtake agreements which AGL entered into between 2006 and 2012.
AEMO releases ‘Quarterly Energy Dynamics’ for Q4 2020
Quite a synergistic coincidence today that, at the same time as we are finalizing the release of the GSD2020, we see the AEMO publishes its Quarterly Energy Dynamics for Q4 2020.
Heavy rain across Victoria squashes Small and Large Solar on Friday 29th January 2021
Short article today observing higher Scheduled Demand in VIC – which appears to be in large part due to state-wide suppression of solar PV production with heavy cloud and rainfall.
Cool change arrives in Melbourne early on Monday 25th January 2021, dampening high demand expectations
Forecasts was that it would be hot across Victoria, and demand would be high, through Monday 25th January 2021. But the cool change arrived early.
Sunday 24th Jan 2021 (part 2) – down to the wire (because of bushfire) in South Australia
Second article today, focusing on what happened late in the afternoon and into the evening in South Australia.
Sunday 24th Jan 2021 – a couple discrete incidents
It was forecast it would be a hot day in the southern part of the NEM and it did not disappoint. The hot weather was one of the factors that contributed to price spikes … in Regulation FCAS, and then in QLD and later in South Australia.
High temperatures, and high demand, forecast for Monday 25th January 2021
Following several different warnings of high temperatures forecast for the lead-in to Tuesday 26th January 2021 (whatever you want to call that day) I’ve taken a quick look at what it’s currently forecast to mean for the NEM…
Yesterday’s unexpected loss of ~500MW of rooftop PV in South Australia (another type of Contingency event – Credible, or Non-Credible?)
Wednesday 13th January 2021 was a busy day in the NEM, with a couple of different events occurring. In this article we explore a sudden and unexpected drop in output across both rooftop PV and large-scale solar in South Australia that delivered both price spikes, and also broader questions about emerging challenges for the grid (and market).
NEM Local Temperature alert for Dalby (QLD) for Sat 16th Jan 2021 … an opportunity to check the draft GSD2020
Today (Wed 13th Jan 2021) a high temperature alert published by AEMO for the Dalby area in southern QLD prompted a quick look at what the GSD2020 shows, in terms of high-temperature limitations of plant around the Dalby area.
Both units trip at Callide C on Wednesday 13th January 2021
A pretty rare event in the NEM, when two units trip simultaneously … so a short article on WattClarity as a result.
Status update, on availability of the 48x remaining coal units across Q1 2021
Using an in-development (but soon to be released) widget in ez2view we take a look at forecast availability for coal units in NSW, VIC and QLD for the critical, and normally volatile, Q1 period 2021.
Bottom falls out of electricity demand in VIC on Christmas Day 2020
Short note about what might be a new record low point for electricity demand in Victoria on Christmas Day 2020.
Temperature Alert!
As we wind down for Christmas, recapping some developments (in Nov and Dec 2020) about high temperature limitations on generation technology across the NEM.
How aggregate production from Wind and Large Solar in NSW dropped last week – one factor contributing to price spikes and Reserve Trader
An unfortunately timed significant slump in output across all Wind and Large Solar plant in NSW was another of the factors contributing to the price volatility seen in NSW last week.
Liddell unit 3 out till perhaps March 2021 after transformer incident (serious injury to one person)
The publication by AGL Energy of the short note about the transformer incident (and injured worker) at Liddell unit 3 yesterday prompted me to have a quick look, following on from the volatility this week.
Price volatility (third day in a row) … and Reserve Trader dispatched in NSW
Third day in a row we see volatility in NSW (and QLD) … and this afternoon AEMO contracts, and then dispatches, Reserve Trader in NSW
More price volatility in (QLD and) NSW on Wednesday 16th December 2020
Second day in a row the price spikes in the NSW region … higher and longer than yesterday. Low aggregate production from Wind and Large Solar across NSW today was clearly one other factor that contributed.
Short price spike in NSW on Tuesday 15th December 2020
A quick look at a spike in NSW price this afternoon above $3,000/MWh due to a number of different factors … including a trip of unit 3 at Eraring coal-fired power station.
Price spikes in NSW and QLD on the first afternoon of December
Earlier this afternoon we were alerted to a price spike in NSW and QLD that was seemingly caused by a unit trip at one of the larger generators in NSW.