Lincoln Gap wind farm, contracted to ERM.
The rapid transition of the South Australia grid towards a world-first target of net 100 per cent wind and solar has taken another stunning leap forward, with the amount of gas generation slashed by half, allowing wind energy to set a new record of its own.
South Australia regularly reaches levels of more than 100 per cent wind and solar – in fact it has done that for all but three days since the start of October.
But often the amount of wind and solar that is generated has to be constrained to ensure that a certain amount of gas generation can supply “system strength” and keep the grid stable. The excess capacity is usually exported to Victoria, although small amounts are also stored in the state’s three big batteries.
However, four new machines known as “synchronous condensers” that deliver the same system strength as fossil fuel generators, without actually burning any fossil fuels, have now completed their testing, and on Thursday for the first time market authorities appeared to dial back the minimum amount of gas by half.
Market observers say that at least 220MW of gas generation has been required to keep the system stable till now, but on Thursday it was dialled back to just 120MW. In turn, this allowed wind output to be increased to a record 128.6 per cent share of local demand at 4.15am. Renew Economy - link - Giles Parkinson - link - more like this - link - more like this (Australia) - link
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