Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Instead of coming clean on policy failures, South Australia, the world’s renewable energy crash test dummy, has announced a decision to ditch free markets and assume direct government control of the electricity grid, in an effort to stabilise their self inflicted renewable energy nightmare.
SA power: Energy Minister to be given more control in state’s $500m plan to secure future
By political reporters Nick Harmsen and Angelique Donnellan
The South Australian Government has announced it will spend more than $500 million to build a new gas-fired power plant and Australia’s largest battery as it moves to secure the state’s energy supplies.
The government will build, own and operate a new $360 million, 250-megawatt gas-fired power plant
Australia’s largest battery will be built before next summer, by the private sector, and be funded from a $150 million renewable technology fund
SA’s energy minister will have the power to order a generator to be switched on if more supply is needed (a power held by the AEMO)
Announcing the energy plan in the wake of blackouts and load-shedding, SA Premier Jay Weatherill said his government would take control by ensuring the energy minister was given powers to direct the market.
The plan would involve building, owning and operating a $360 million, 250-megawatt gas-fired plant to provide power grid stability and for emergency power needs.
The private sector would build Australia’s largest battery before next summer, with a 100MW output, Mr Weatherill told a news conference.
The venture would be funded from a new $150 million renewable technology fund, he said.
“We think that a secure energy system should have multiple sources. It is a question of speed as well,” he said.
“A battery could be delivered quickly, we are advised, but we want multiple sources of redundancy, if you like, in our electricity system so that we have got more service efficiency.
“The other thing with a battery, which is attractive, is that it can be done quite economically. The battery can become essentially a player in the market and, to some degree, pay for itself.”
Gas-fired plant for emergency use
Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the gas-fired power plant could be turned on “in an emergency” if an electricity shortfall was forecast.
…
By seizing direct control of the grid, South Australian authorities are also assuming total responsibility for its stability. There will be nowhere to hide, next time their unreliable electric supply nightmare collapses.
I thought that one of the main problems that caused the S.A. blackout, was frequency instability. But with batteries being DC and having to synch into the S.A. grid the same as windelecs (wind turbines) do, they are not going to enhance frequency stability.
Also, this battery unit appears to be rather small (I am assuming 100 mwhr, because that is what it said in my newspaper). The UK’s largest ‘battery’ backup system is Dinorwig, which has a capacity of 10,000 mwhr. Yet Dinorwig still struggles to smooth out UK electrical demand peaks, and has no capacity to smooth out supply peaks. Smoothing out UK renewable supply peaks would need at least another ten Dinorwigs.
(Is ‘one Dinorwig’ a unit of measure? 😉 )
R
I thought getting power inverters to synch was a relatively trivial thing.
Not sure, but that is what the report indicated. Perhaps it is more difficult when the input frequency is fluctuating all over the place because of the wind.
R
I thought we were talking about converting DC from batteries. Keeping a physical object weighing tons synched up is a whole different ball game. And a much tougher one.
Comments on this thread reflect a general confusion. It is normal in the first days after a major catastrophe. More details will emerge later.
Their renewable program has hurt local businesses (forcing some to leave), made everything more expensive and resulted in a govt. ownership of a utility they condemned when done by the private sector.
I don’t think people realize that to liberals, this is called progressive.
Any way I try to rotate this to the possible outcomes, as far as I am able to, the conclusion is all the same.
According to the info in this blog post, the SA is investing in building a “bomb”, a 100MW one, and connect it to their power grid…..in an attempt to solve some thing that is not solvable…
The chain is as strong as it’s weakest link…..and by the very attempt in this one, the weakest link is identified and accepted to be the wind power in the SA grid..
When considering a 100mw battery system, there could be many designs considered, in some way different from each other.
There could be designs of such systems, when a 100MW system can deliver from a 1mwhr to 2mwhr range continuously up to its terminal capacity, or systems with a 10mwhr to 20mwhr range of supply up to the terminal capacity.
Such battery systems can be built to be resilient and strong enough to operate for good amount of time in heavy and hazardous condition, like when the demand from the grid this systems are connected to, could be up to 10 times higher than the out put nominal designed range of such systems, and the systems can still deliver up to a point continuously by still maintaining the designed range of normal operation.
For as much as I can say considering this 100MW battery system venture of SA, none of this kind of designs seams to make sense. None of such as make any difference, or expected in any way to do in the case of SA grid.
Considering their actual problem in their power grid, the wind power and it’s handicap, the only conclusion I get to, is that the battery system in question that is about to be build and connected to their grid is going a be designed and operated in a way that I my self call it a “bomb” status operation….
Where the upper range of the power supply can reach and is allowed to operate at the or very near the terminal capacity, where a 100MW battery system is build to operate up to a maximal output “surge” of 100MWhour or very near to it….if demand requires it to….for a very short while anyway. (seconds to minutes)
This kind of systems are required to be very resilient and highly withstanding, robust and “very strong”, otherwise a 100mw battery systems ends up very easy to be just a “bomb” in waiting….A very very expensive system, where the cost of building such a system is really peanuts when compared to the cost of maintenance over time, if such systems subjected to what they can do best….
The other thing is, that I see no any “benefit” or return in this particular case…
Trying to invest in a battery system such as this in the expectation that it could compensate and cover for the main devastating handicap of the wind power, as per the SA grid, is one thing, but expecting for it to deliver and be “successful” at that, is entirely another thing…..I would say completely impossible…..
Hopefully it will not be built near urban or residential areas……hopefully…….hopefully it will be built in and on a wind farm territory…….
could still go on further with this and in more detail……but is still a long comment for up to this point, and also I may just be getting all this wrong…..
cheers
Well said! One note- they are trying, I believe to build a better, weaker, weakest link!
There are Megawatts – MW, because Watt was a bloke,and there are milliwatts and milliwatt hours – mW and mWh.
There is no mwh or mwhr
a 10mWh battery is a potato and a couple of nails…
Oh thorry Leo, mea culpa….you are right with your criticism… hopefully you still get the meaning of my comment..:)
Sorry to mister Watt to……no mischief intended…
thanks for your reply.
cheers
How much for one of these “Green beauties”, mate? Does Elon know he’s got competition?
SA has become Australia’s CA.
South Australian voters need to enlarge their genetic pool or check their water for lead. How is a government like this sustainable? Australia, home to the largest pool of climate scientists and already a study for climate blues disorder, is already an object of derision. Do they know the rest of the world is abandoning the Paris Agreement now and new governments in Europe after Brexit and Trump’s America are putting an end to the brain lesion called CAGW science? Did they take your pitchforks away from you? Com’on, lets hear from South Australians.
Except in South Australia, because they can hardly run their microwaves to pop it. 😐
South Australia needs to look at Ontario Canada” s cluster F energy /environmental train wreck to learn what not to do . It was stupid ideological socialism that created the mess in the first place . Now what a double down lead by government ? Ditch any carbon taxes to start with .
It would be so interesting to have the minds that are discussing this matter, take a look at the ridiculous situation we have in Ontario.
The primary function of a grid connected battery (as a source/generator) will be to replace spinning reserve. The secondary function will be storage of excess “free” generation such as when windy days provide more generation than demand. The 2 functions are not really compatible. For reliable use as a substitute for spinning reserve the battery needs to be kept fully charged. For economic(ish) use as storage of “excess electrons” (love that phrase-it’s a keeper!!) the battery needs to be empty and regularly cycled. To decide in advance which function, primary or secondary, is what you are going to need tomorrow might require the employment of a whole committee of clairvoyants.
Perhaps we need TWO battery packs, keep one fully charged and the other generally empty and cycled.
/s (unless you are Elon in which case…)
They are not renewables…they are intermittents. Sigh.
Wait for the overmanning, increasing wages and a price hike to consumers.
The whole continent of Australia has suffered badly this year due to climate change related heat waves and floods. Too many people turning on air conditioners trying to escape the unrelenting heat waves caused havoc with electric grids across the nation.
Climate change has arrived big time down under!
Interesting that the havoc stayed on one side of the border but the weather did not.
“nightmare collapses”
A tortuous and ambiguous choice of words.
Is a collapsing nightmare good or bad?
Earlier in the thread this link was posted:
http://www.windpowerengineering.com/design/electrical/battery-stores-40-mw-for-ankorage-emergencies/
It is a good read on how a large scale battery system is built and used.
Points to note:
It uses 13,760 Saft SBH 920 nickel-cadmium cells giving 3,680 Ah capacity.
It produces 5000V DC.
Converters work both ways – DC > AC, and AC – DC to discharge and charge as necessary.
The complete battery weighs some 1,300 tons and its building measures 120 x 26 m.
Supplies 40 MW for 15 minutes.
Guaranteed for 20 years.
It provides spinning reserve to the grid.
To scale it up to cover South Australia would cost a lot, would it be worth it?
Only SA taxpayers can decide….
Have government create a huge problem in the private sector by solving an non-existant problem. Then perform a centralized bureaucratic takeover to fix the artificially created problem thereby making things worse. Demand more money to fix the escalating problem.
At this rate Australia will go the way of USSR which collapsed from the overwhelming burden of incompetent bureaucracy and blind idealogy.
Just had a workup done on our household for a battery system, we have a 5kw, inverter with 20 solar panels, they provide our daytime power with some left over which goes back to the grid.
We get paid the grand sum of 6 cents per Kw for that leftover power, so we are only looking at night time power.
I explained very carefully we are not huge users of power, TV, and maybe a laptop running, reverse cycle air-conditioner if it is very hot or cold.
Quote came back, we will need to change your inverter as your two year old inverter will not work, and the cost over $10k, for about $150.00 a quarter savings, and how long will the batteries last I asked, oh about 10 years.
So $150.00 x 4 = $600.00, then $600.00 X 10 years, $6000.00, he assured me my savings would pay for my batteries, and I would have no power bills, I told him to feel free to install my battery system,he had my bills, never heard from salesman again, so even salesmen can calculate, what do you know.
Very much doubt govt ministers and premiers can calculate.
The ought to try-out a bank large flywheels. I reckon it would fix-up their problem much better than batteries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flywheel_energy_storage#Grid_energy_storage
(this other idea http://www.allpar.com/model/patriot.html was not such a success however!)
The Elon Musk Battery proposal would supply a small town for two hours after a supply breakage. The batteries will last 5-10 years and then need to be replaced. The wind turbines will las 15 years and need rebuilding. Just exactly where is the ‘Renewable” in all that. I cab see the downside, but not the ‘renewable’.
“Renewable” as in the battery and wind turbine hardware need to be renewed regularly, as do the subsidies and mandates.
Never fear, the next power source will be taxpayers running on hampster wheels as reliable ecofriendly night time power.
After all, if taxpayers are so placid to permit the ongoing enslavement that our Kleptocratic Class are gifting us with, why not reintroduce slavery?
You know, “It is justifiable to allow these miscreants to pay their debt to society”.
In South Australia and Ontario Canada’s case, that debt being the monthly power bill from the government monopoly.
While I know no cure for stupid, the cost of stupid and clueless being in positions of power,are being demonstrated world wide.
Regularly.Daily.
I have a sneaking feeling that, in due course, they are going to discover how the economics of this emergency gas-fired generator look much rosier if they just keep it running all the time. Of course there won’t be any big public announcements about it…
One of the most modern and efficient (over 60%) Gas power plants in Irsching, Bavaria, Germany is shut down.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irsching_Power_Station
The reason is that subisdised renewables are now cheaper at the spot market, so that running it is not feasible.
However, the German Government did not allow them to close it completely. As the nuclear power plants nearby are closed down for good, the gas power plant is cosindered as system relevant and by law has to be kept as a “warm reserve”, which means it has to run idle to start as soon additional power is needed.
Of course, this has to be paid for and the cost are added to our electricity bill.
Seems batteries are not all they are cracked up to be! This one was installed in March16, and touted to be the largest in the country! And the spin is evident here, too! No real info on capacity, power output, time of available power etc!
https://www.powercor.com.au/media/2973/mr_australias-largest-battery-arrives-in-buninyong.pdf
And as of January this year, it is still not operational!
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4395019/buninyong-battery-still-out-of-action/
Methinks we already have best energy storage, perfectly provided by nature, at minimal cost!
It’s called coal!
Can be used in any weather condition, and is easily throttled for energy demands. What could be better than that?
The joys of lithium batteries:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39275826
Lithium-ion battery storage may be banned in Australian homes
http://www.echo.net.au/2017/02/lithium-ion-battery-storage-may-banned-australian-homes/
One for the hockey stick fans to enjoy no doubt-
http://www.wattclarity.com.au/2017/03/with-the-closure-of-hazelwood-looming-hedge-contract-prices-climb-skywards/
Nowhere in the history of mankind can these bozos point to the exception of a fundamental axiom of engineering that you cannot build a reliable system from unreliable components and yet they that’s exactly what they set out to do and foisted the outcome upon us.
You can build a reliable system from un-reliable components, you just need tons of redundancy and the ability to do hot swaps quickly.