South Australia – the country’s most advanced renewables grid – has average more than 100 per cent net renewables (compared to state demand) over the past week, and more than 90 per cent renewables over the last 28 days.
It is not the first time that South Australia has reached 100 per cent renewables – it has done so previously over the Christmas/New Year period – but it marks a significant milestone, given that its mix of renewables is made up entirely of variable wind and solar, and with no hydro or even biomass to speak of.
The state has averaged around 75 per cent renewables over the last 12 months – a figure that has barely grown in the last year or two – but which should jump now that the state’s biggest wind farm, the 412.5 MW Goyder wind farm is fully operational.
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The state government has an official target of reaching an average 100 per cent “net” renewables by the end of 2027, helped by the completion of a major new transmission link to NSW, and its growing fleet of big batteries which should reach around 20 by that time.
“Net” renewables means that the state will export surplus power to neighbouring states when needed (the output below zero in graph above), and also import power from those states at times (the purple blobs). Big batteries also play a prominent role (in blue), and account for up to 40 per cent of state demand at times in the evening peak.
However, the completion of the new link from NSW, as well as the presence of four big spinning machines known as synchronous condensers, as well as battery grid forming inverters, means that the market operator will be able to run the grid with “engines off” i.e. no gas generators, at time.
When that happens, the state will be running, with no question, at 100 per cent renewables.
See also: Solar and wind reach 100 pct of demand in biggest isolated grid, as batteries allow it to keep its thermals on
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Giles Parkinson
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.
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