NSW

  • Low carbon generation

    “Ooh, a storm is threatening, My very [interconnection] today”: Can states utilise interconnection to share wind resources?

    Penetration of renewables continues to dominate the energy news, as we saw renewables as a proportion of total demand reach new heights this week to a new record of ~70% penetration. In light of this continuing march toward a renewable-dominated grid (building on some analysis we did in Chart of...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    How long is the ‘Golden time of day’ for batteries?

    A key part of the business case for grid-scale standalone batteries is the arbitrage opportunity between low daytime wholesale prices (when renewable energy generation from solar is plentiful) and high evening prices (when the sun goes down and household demand ramps up quickly). The share of battery revenue coming from...

  • Low carbon generation

    MLF changes in NSW in the past decade

    MLF, short for Marginal Loss Factor, represents the portion of electricity losses that occur along the transmission network between a connection point and the Regional Reference Node (RRN). Within the NEM, the MLF serves as a metric to quantify these losses along the network, playing a pivotal role in determining...

  • Low carbon generation

    “If I don’t get some shelter, ooh yeah, I’m gonna fade away”: How much firming is needed for wind?

    In the last week, renewable generation in SA has varied from 126% of local demand to only 0.6%. During this period of low wind in the state, SA was importing ~600MW from Victoria. At that same time, renewables were thankfully generating 34% in VIC, along with brown coal pretty much...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    How does thermal storage stack up compared to batteries?

    Along with the retirement of coal/gas power plants in the NEM, long-duration energy storage systems (LDESS), often exceeding 8 hours of storage, are becoming more crucial in transitioning to a more sustainable and renewable energy future. LDESS technologies, such as battery storage systems (BESS), thermal energy storage systems (TESS), compressed...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    VNI West selected path; an incentive for delaying coal retirements?

    On 29 May 2023, AEMO published a conclusions report on the VNI West Project. According to the report, option 5A (a variant of  AEMO’s preferred option in a previous consultation paper) is preferred for VNI West. In option 5A, the transmission line crosses the Murray River north of Kerang (Wamba...

  • Low carbon generation

    NSW’s transition to a new era: What will replace Eraring?

    After 52 years of operation, the NSW Liddell power station officially shut down last 28 April. With Liddell’s closure, NSW’s transition to a green energy future is in full swing. First announced in 2015, NSW had seven years to ensure there is enough replacement capacity once Liddell is retired. Since...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    It’s the Liddell things that matter

    Australia’s oldest coal-fired power plant Liddell retired completely in the last week of April 2023 after 52 years. This giant of AGL, which had a total registered capacity of 2,000 MW, operationally acted as a 1600MW station and 1200MW after the closure of its third unit. Australia’s transition to clean...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    A look at AEMO pre-dispatch forecasts over the last year

    The Energy Security Board (ESB), under the direction of the National Cabinet, is currently working on a number of changes that will impact how generators connect to and operate within the National Electricity Market (NEM). The Congestion Relief Market (CRM) model is one such change to how the NEM currently...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Boulevard of Broken Plants: Can NSW reserves handle non-Green Days?

    It’s been easy to get caught up in all the news from the Victoria and Queensland governments proposing record-setting funding and environmental targets by 2030 and 2035, along with the news of AGL bringing forward the closure of Loy Yang A. This signals that energy transition is now well and...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | A view of captured prices by technology in New South Wales

    This Chart of the week examines the historical captured prices of selected technologies within NSW for the last 10 years. Figure 1 shows the historical rolling monthly average of captured prices of various technologies within New South Wales against the monthly generation of variable renewable resources including small scale rooftop....

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | The wind and the sun: an old age quarrel… or friendship?

    Last week, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) released the Q2 edition of its Quarterly Energy Dynamics (QED) report. A key finding in the report is the reduction in wholesale electricity prices seen last quarter. With government-supported Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) being proposed especially in New South Wales (NSW), what...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | Now speed up, gas pedal, gas pedal: faster transition for NSW?

    Last month, the NSW government issued a call to renewable developers to respond to a Registration of Interest to develop a pilot Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in the Central-West region of the state. This REZ – with an estimated worth of $4.4 billion in private investments - is expected to...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Australian Chart of the week | VNI West RIT-T: another route-to-market for battery storage?

    Over the last week, we have been reading through stakeholder submissions to the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) Project Specification Consultation Report (PSCR). For the most part, the submissions were in support of options 7 and 6 (Figure 1). However,...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | From sunrise to sunset: the outlook for merchant solar

    Utility-scale solar is certainly making an impression on the NEM with the recently released Quarterly Energy Dynamics from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). It reported that Q4 2019 saw the highest grid-solar output on record. In addition, Shell announced its first foray into the world of utility-scale solar. They...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Australian Chart of the week | Is now the time to consider an operating reserve service?

    This summer has already seen a number of instances of tightening supply/demand balance across the National Electricity Market (NEM). This has consequently resulted in a range of reactions from the market operator (AEMO) and other market stakeholders. There were extreme weather events as well as fluctuating supply and disruptions. As...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | The fire between us: the day bushfires separated NSW & Victoria

    This summer has already sprung many newsworthy events for the NEM including broader climate discussions with increased tightening of demand/supply balance. On Saturday 4 January, bushfires directly impacted the NEM. They triggered a series of supply disruptions resulting in power prices in NSW hitting value of lost load (VoLL). In...