The rise of the ‘Negawatt Factory’?
My understanding is that the AEMC’s Final Rule relating to the push to implement a ‘Negawatt Dispatch Mechanism’ will be released in the morning. I wonder what the implications will actually turn out to be…
‘Dunkelflaute’ Down Under
Yesterday evening (Tue 9th June 2020) saw an example of ‘dunkelflaute’ across the NEM. It’s a phenomenon we will see increasingly as the transition progresses, so it’s something we should be seeking to understand, and address, with real world solutions and not rose coloured glasses.
Why Have Home Battery Forecasts Been Staggeringly Wrong For Years?
Ronald Brakels looks at the state of the home battery market and reflects on how past predictions of its evolution look in hindsight.
Looking gloomy at Oakey 2 Solar Farm again?
Yesterday I received a call from the people at PV Magazine who were preparing for the ‘Virtual Roundtables Europe 2020’ event on this week in Germany – i.e. Tuesday evening (now!) and Wednesday evening ‘NEM time’. I’m told the event…
Feedback we have received about the 2019 edition of our Generator Statistical Digest
Just over 4 months have passed since the release of the Generator Statistical Digest 2019. We take a look back at some of the compliments and comments we’ve received and seen from a variety of people who have accessed their copy of the GSD2019.
UQ presents webinar on the Q1 performance of their 1.1MW Tesla battery
The University of Queensland’s project team that was involved with the installation and operations of their 1.1MW Tesla battery presented a webinar and exhaustive Q&A on the first results of the project.
Two units at Vales Point trip simultaneously on Sunday 7th June 2020
A quick look at the two units tripping at 13:33 on Sunday 7th June 2020, and some earlier operational problems the day before (perhaps unrelated).
Not as simple as it appears – estimating curtailment of renewable generation
Curtailment seems like a simple concept, until you look closely at the details. In this article, Marcelle looks at how to estimate curtailment at wind and solar farms and explores some of the traps.
AER to develop two Rule Change proposals about Semi-Scheduled generation
A brief note about the (also short) notice from the AER relating to two rule change proposals which it has been asked to propose by the COAG Energy Council
Small Solar Should Embrace Control
Tom Geiser, Senior Market Manager at Neoen, discusses the merits of proportional, relative control on the issue of small solar curtailment.
Sunshine State forgets its own branding on Saturday 23rd May 2020
Analysis compiled to explore what the impact was of the unusual weather pattern (extensive cloud cover and cold temperatures) seen across a large part of Queensland on Saturday 23rd May 2020.
Villain no 6d – Diversity is not a magic wand
A few quick words, about the challenges inherent in assessing the benefits of diversity too superficially. It clearly does have some benefits, but it’s not a Magic Wand.
‘Maximising Value in the NEM’, with a particular focus on Large Solar Farms
On Thursday 21st May, Marcelle Gannon and Jonathon Dyson jointly shared a large number of insights and tips to help those interested in developing and/or operating Large Solar Farms in the NEM maximise the value they receive. Useful also for those interested in Wind Farms (i.e. any Semi-Scheduled plant), and also hybrid operations using Batteries.
Recent trends in spot price distribution in QLD
In a sneak preview from the “Maximising Value in the NEM” webinar this Thursday, Marcelle looks at the changing distribution of spot prices in QLD.
Reasonably widespread deviations delivers highest ‘aggregate Raw Off-Target’ for the 2019 year for ‘all Wind’
This is the 3rd of 4 Case Studies to follow on from the main article (summarising results across 105,120 dispatch intervals through 2019 for ‘all Coal’ and ‘all Wind’ groupings). In this case, let’s look at the ‘worst’ case, in aggregate, where wind units under-performed compared to dispatch targets.
Can batteries replace ‘cap’ contracts to hedge customer load? A case study from Q1 2020
Guest author, Andrew Wilson, presents a case study of the performance and results from the University of Queensland’s 1.1MW Tesla Powerpack system during Q1 2020.
Case Study about Non-Conformance with Yarranlea Solar Farm on Friday 1st May 2020
Following on from the article posted on the day, here’s a focused look at what can be seen in (‘next day’ public) data for Yarranlea Solar Farm on Friday 1st May 2020 – a day that saw negative prices through many half-hour trading periods in Queensland, and Large Solar farms cycling as a result.
Stanwell unit operation on 12th October 2019 delivers most negative ‘aggregate Raw Off-Target’ for the 2019 year for ‘all Coal’
This is the 2nd of 4 Case Studies to follow on from Tuesday’s main article (summarising results across 105,120 dispatch intervals through 2019 for ‘all Coal’ and ‘all Wind’ groupings). In this case, let’s look at the ‘worst’ case, in aggregate, where coal units over-performed compared to dispatch targets.
Kogan Creek trip on 9th October 2019 delivers highest ‘aggregate Raw Off-Target’ for the 2019 year for ‘all Coal’
Following on from Tuesday’s main article (summarising results across 105,120 dispatch intervals through 2019 for ‘all Coal’ and ‘all Wind’ groupings), this is the first of 4 x Case Studies that look at each of the extremes in outcome. This one is the dispatch interval featuring the greatest over-performance, collectively, across all coal units through 2019.
Balancing Supply and Demand …. in the fast approaching ‘NEM 2.0’ world
Recent invitations (from COAG Energy Council and AEMO) prompt some further analysis of the data set assembled for the GSD2019 in order to understand more about one of the challenges in balancing Supply and Demand in the NEM 2.0 world.