AEMO

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• Half a million homes and businesses in Victoria were left without power late on Tuesday following a major power outage.
• Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio described the blackout as “one of the largest outage events in the state’s history”.
• But in this case, the fact that a complete system blackout was avoided is testament to the resilience of the system.

A day of wild weather

• It caused two transmission lines near Geelong to collapse, prompting several generators to disconnect from the grid and cutting power to parts of the network.
• This involves temporarily cutting off electricity supply to some customers to keep the network stable and prevent damage.

What happened at Loy Yang A?

• The disruption to electricity transmission caused AGL’s Loy Yang A generator to go offline.
• It appears that Loy Yang A was the first generator to disconnect.
• Loy Yang A tripped up to protect itself from permanent damage and in doing so actually kept the system stable.

What part did renewables or coal play?

• This includes all types of generators – wind, solar, gas, hydro and coal.
• The power outages on Tuesday were unrelated to the proportion of renewables and fossil fuels in the energy mix.
• It’s possible that old coal power generators are more sensitive to transmission disruptions than newer technologies.

Lessons from South Australia

• In September 2016, wind storms in South Australia also blew over transmission lines.
• But it may well show that the lessons learned from SA blackout saved the Victorian grid.

A warmer future

• It will manifest in many different ways: strong wind events, heatwaves, bushfires and floods.
• It means all of us – researchers, the market operators, and generator operators – must work hard to make energy systems more resilient as we move into an uncertain future.

Roger Dargaville receives funding from the RACE for 2030 CRC and the Woodside Monash Energy Partnership.

• But progress is challenged by the scale required, community resistance to new infrastructure and connecting all that new renewable electricity to the grid.
• The roadblocks facing large projects present an opportunity to ramp up the contribution of small-scale technologies in the energy transition.
• So, how large a share of our electricity needs might rooftop solar provide?

Why rooftop solar presents a challenge for the grid

• But AEMO does not dispatch power from rooftop solar, which is either used on site, or flows into the grid independently of AEMO’s control.
• This isn’t usually a problem, since AEMO keeps the grid balanced by forecasting how much rooftop solar is being generated.
• Grid security can also be challenged when unexpected events trigger the safety settings of rooftop solar systems and cause them to disconnect.
• So how are we managing the three challenges of rooftop solar: lack of controllability by the market operator, uncertain behaviour during unexpected grid events and impact on network voltage?

Ways to manage and expand rooftop solar

• The good news is that standards introduced in 2020 provide more sophisticated ways of managing solar through more gradual voltage response, and by requiring systems to ride through major disturbances rather than disconnecting.
• Some networks have also developed solar-friendly ways to cut off surplus output “dynamically”, meaning only at times when they have to.
• While necessary in the short-term, if unchecked they will reduce our ability to realise our rooftop solar potential.

Getting smarter about when we use power

• To make such a change, consumer electricity prices are a potential lever.
• Solar customers already have an incentive to use electricity from their own rooftop systems, because they pay more for grid electricity than they are paid to sell solar back to the grid.
• In these cases orchestration schemes, often called “virtual power plants,” are an option.
• Good governance arrangements and meaningful stakeholder consultation are essential if Australia is to maintain the momentum of its people-powered energy transition.

• Baran Yildiz receives funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Australia.
• Dani Alexander receives funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre.
• Mike Roberts receives funding from the Race for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre, the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, and Essential Energy.

• The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) estimates up to 75GW of solar capacity by 2040.
• The company's presence at the tradeshow marked a significant milestone in its ongoing commitment to the Australian solar industry.
• Arctech's participation at All Energy Australia 2023 exemplifies its dedication to advancing sustainable energy solutions in Australia and fostering collaborations with key stakeholders in the region.
• The company's impressive track record, commitment to innovation, and unwavering support for the Australian solar sector continue to position Arctech as a leader in the global renewable energy industry.