wind energy

  • Low carbon generation

    Lower energy prices? More than just hot air

    The Victorian Government launched Australia’s first offshore wind targets as part of its transition towards a net-zero emission future. According to the target, 9GW of offshore wind will be installed by 2040, nearly quadrupling the total wind capacity in VIC. In this Chart of the week, we dive into the...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Feeding the future NEM – Eat some now. Save some for later.

    As the NEM continues to transition towards increased penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE), the use of the word ‘curtailment’ has also increased. While curtailments have historically been a natural part of market outcomes (i.e. generators withholding capacity at higher price points), the increased prevalence of curtailment of VRE is...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | Going for green: record level of wind generation in the NEM

    In the spirit of the Australian Olympic team, instantaneous wind generation in the National Energy Market (NEM) reached new heights during a blustery end to July. Output hit a record 6,427MW at 8:05 pm on 25 July, after breaking 6,000MW for the first time just the day before. In this...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | Examining Victoria’s recent wind drought

    This ‘Chart of the week’ examines the recent spell of low wind generation in Victoria and associated elevated prices. Previously, ‘Chart of the week’ issue 78 highlights the risk of wind droughts within the National Electricity Market (NEM) due to the high correlation of wind fronts both within states and...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Chart of the week | Increasing electricity balancing costs and an increasing System Operator role

    Last week saw the publication of Ofgem's review of GB energy system operation. This makes recommendations that the roles and functions of the electricity and gas system operators need to change in light of net zero. In this week's 'Chart of the week', I wanted to focus on one aspect...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Chart of the week | Critical Link: Western HVDC & wind in the BM

    On 10 January, the Western Link HVDC suffered a fresh unplanned outage. This consequently prompted Ofgem to investigate National Grid Electricity Transmission and Scottish Power Transmission over the cable's delivery and operation. Coinciding with this outage was record-high levels of wind generation in Great Britain. This generation from transmission connected...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Get a load of this! Wind output in January 2020

    January 2020 was a groundbreaking month for renewables due to high wind performance. Consequently, National Grid ESO announced Great Britain's electricity system in January was the greenest on record. This week's Chart of the week discusses the record-breaking performance of wind. As well as its effect on onshore and offshore...

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the week | New Italian renewable subsidies awarded

    Results of the first auction under the new Italian renewables subsidy were announced on 28 January by GSE, the country’s energy agency. The format of the auction provides top-up premia for generators, with developers bidding reductions of between 2% to 70% against a reference price of €70/MWh (£59.40/MWh). This was...

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the week | The changing face of German onshore wind

    The results of the 1 August auction for onshore wind in Germany confirmed a perhaps surprising trend: the sustained fall in auction prices throughout 2017 has been overmatched by the rising prices throughout 2018. Tri-monthly auctions have been held since May 2017. The first delivered a price of €57.10/MWh (£51.40/MWh)...