News & Discussion: Electricity Infrastructure

[PeFe]

1414 picks up Port Augusta solar tower project, plans huge thermal storage plant

https://reneweconomy.com.au/1414-picks- ... ant-22559/

Post 658

[PeFe]

For second month in a row SA has lowest wholesale electricity cost.
From Renew Economy

Renewable South Australia posts lowest wholesale prices for second month in row

The renewable state of South Australia has recorded the lowest average wholesale prices on Australia’s main grid for the second month in a row, once again due to its dominant share of wind and solar which provided nearly two thirds of state demand.

According to data provided by the Australian Energy Market Operator, South Australia’s average wholesale price for the month of November was $50.86 per megawatt hour, which is about half its average of the previous financial year, and 20 per cent below the next best for the month, Queensland.

The price delivered in South Australia was almost 40 per cent cheaper than in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania, and came in a month where 59 per cent of the total generation came from wind and solar, and met 66.2 per cent of local demand.

In October, the state of South Australia – which now has a target of “net 100 per cent renewables” to be met by around 2030 – also posted the lowest wholesale prices in Australia’s main grid.

This is a significant achievement, because South Australia has long had the highest prices in Australia, which caused the state-owned utility to investigate wind power way back in the 1970s.

That wasn’t much of an option then, but now that both wind and solar are clearly the cheapest form of new generation, and cheaper and cleaner than even much of existing generation, the renewables are now coming on to the market at a scale where they can make a difference – even in South Australia where the market is traditionally dominated by just a few big players with considerable market power.


This table from AEMO (above) shows the average price over the month of November.

Dylan McConnell, from the Climate and Energy College in Melbourne, offers different data (table below), showing the “weighted” volume average for the month.



This still shows South Australia to be the cheapest on the main grid for the second month in a row, but takes into account the fact that more volume may have been produced when prices were high (in all states).

Wind made the largest contribution in November with 45.4 per cent, with rooftop solar providing 17.1 per cent and large scale solar 3.7 per cent. Various forms of gas generation provided the rest, with battery storage charging when prices low and generating only at peak times.



This graph from OpenNem.org.au gives an indication of the day-by-day contribution of the main sources – solar (yellow), wind (green) and gas (shades of orange). Purple indicates imports, but any generation below the zero dotted line indicates exports.

South Australia exported more than twice as much (126 gigawatt hours) than it imported (58GWh) during the month. When it did import, it was because the prices in Victoria were cheaper than gas generation in South Australia. It was not forced to import because of any supply shortfall.

This is the first time that RenewEconomy can find that South Australia has posted the lowest prices for two consecutive months (glad to be corrected if someone has better access to data).

It’s not likely something that will continue over summer, when soaring temperatures and increased demand will require more gas generators to be switched on, who will then set the price rather than wind or solar, and the price will go higher.

But as dispatchable generators come into the market – either more batteries, the first pumped hydro projects, and the two “back-up diesel generators are converted to gas and become “market players”, further downward pressure will occur on prices.

And then there are other initiatives – the proposed new transmission link to NSW that will unlock a raft of new big wind and solar projects, backed up with storage, in South Australia, and the introduction of synchronous condensers next year, which will reduce the need for the market operator to “direct” gas generators to switch on to maintain system strength.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/renewable-s ... row-12841/

[Nort]

Great news, hopefully we can start to see this reflected at the consumer level in the near future. On a national level SA having low power prices would be a great force to pressure the Federal Government on the inevitable move towards renewables.

[PeFe]

New solar farm and battery proposal for the Clare valley.
From Renew Economy

FRV applies to build 100MW solar and battery project in South Australia



Plans to build a 100MW solar farm with a 50MW/100MWh battery in South Australia’s Clare Valley have been submitted to the state’s planning commission for development approval, by FRV Services Australia.

The originally Spain-based FRV is proposing to build the Chaff Mill Solar Farm on two parcels of vacant farming land just outside the town of Mintaro, in the state’s Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council region.

The solar farm, which would include a 50MW/100MWh battery energy storage system, is planned for construction next to the existing Mintaro substation and its 132 kilovolt (kV) transmission line to Waterloo.

FRV says the project would generate around 250,000MWh of solar electricity a year and “make a significant contribution to South Australia’s energy production and stability of supply.



According to application documents, around 360,000 crystalline solar panels would make up the project, mounted on single axis trackers.

The panels, once mounted, would be no taller than three metres at maximum tilt, FRV said, and would not have metal frames, so as to reduce potential glare for neighbouring properties.

“The make and model of solar panel will not be decided until the period leading up to construction as prices can fluctuate significantly across suppliers over time,” the application said.

The company also claims the solar farm would create economic benefits to the local region, including the creation of up to 200 jobs during construction and around five ongoing full-time equivalent roles during operation.

The newly proposed project is just the latest for the Australian arm of FRV – or Fotowatio Renewable Ventures – which has been building solar farms around the country since entering its first ever reverse auction, held by the ACT government in 2012.

Full article : https://reneweconomy.com.au/frv-applies ... lia-17242/

[PeFe]

Bungala Solar Farm near Port Augusta having a few problems connecting stage 2 of the build to the electricity network.....130 mw connected another 90 to go.

From Renew Economy

“Technical problems” blamed for long delays at Australia’s biggest solar farm


The owners of what should be Australia’s biggest solar farm are blaming “technical problems” for the massive delays which have prevented the project reaching full production, more than a year behind the original schedule.

The Bungala solar farm – located near Port Augusta in South Australia and jointly owned by Italian company Enel Green Power and the Dutch Infrastructure Fund – is supposed to be the biggest in the country at 220MW (AC), or 275MW (DC).



It has been built over two stages, but while the first stage is operating at its full capacity of 110MW, the second stage – originally due for full commissioning in late 2018 – has been stuck at a “hold point” of around 20MW since early this year.

Delays in connections and commissioning have become common place in Australia for new wind and solar farms, due to a combination of the growing complexity of connection requirements, technical problems, and/or the overwhelming workloads on network owners and the market operator.

The delay to Bungala, however, is the most significant that we can find, challenged only by the Kennedy Energy Hub, the wind, solar and battery hybrid project in north Queensland that has been mechanically complete since late last year, and is still waiting for its generator performance standard.

The failure to secure the GPS has now led to a legal dispute between Kennedy’s owner Windlab and the EPC contractors Qanta Services and Vestas.

Enel Green Power, the renewable offshoot of Italian utility giant Enel, would not comment in great detail about the issues at Bungala.

“The delay is due to some technical problems at the connection point detected during the commissioning phase and we are now working to fix these problems,” a spokesman told RenewEconomy via email.

“We do not disclose our contractors.”

The contractor, however, is clearly Spanish group Elecnor, which boasted of the contract win in a series of stock exchange announcements in 2017 and 2018, in which it described the project as the “most ambitious such project to date” in Australia.

Full article : https://reneweconomy.com.au/technical-p ... arm-53289/

[PeFe]

Tilt Renewables has sold the Snowtown 2 wind farm (270mw) for a cool 1 billion dollars......no that is not a typo....one billion.
From Renew Economy

Tilt lands $1 billion deal for sale of Snowtown 2 wind farm

Listed renewable energy company Tilt Renewables has secured the sale of the 270MW Snowtown 2 wind farm in South Australia for the surprisingly high price of $1.07 billion in the biggest single transaction of its type in the country.

The sale to Palisade Investment Partners Limited and First State Super follows the start of a “strategic” review launched in June by Tilt which was looking to free up capital for a raft of new investment opportunities in Australia for wind, solar and battery storage projects.

The deal will see the sale of shares in the Snowtown 2 project worth $472 million, with another $611 million coming in the form of debt that was recently re-financed by Tilt, which also freed up some $86 million in capital thanks to the more generous terms. A sale price of around $800 million had been anticipated.



Snowtown 2 was commissioned in 2014 and has a long term power purchase contract with Origin Energy until 2030, with a five year option after that. There is a potential for a solar farm to be added as well.

It is the fourth largest wind farm in the country and this deal is the largest single transaction in the country – although the 420MW Macarthur wind farm has also recently changed hands, albeit in 50 per cent tranches.

Tilt will retain ownership of the neighbouring 100MW Snowtown 1 wind farm, which operates on a merchant basis and where it is also looking to add some 21MW/42MWh of battery storage, with a final decision expected in the next few months.

“We’re still hoping to put a battery in,” Tilt CEO Deion Campbell told RenewEconomy, adding that talks are continuing with the Australian Energy Market Operator over issues such as the existing generator performance standard.

But Snowtown – now with an extra $455 million freed up from this latest transaction – also has a raft of other development projects in the pipeline, including the 1GW Liverpool Range wind project in NSW, and the 300MW Rye Park wind project, also in NSW.

Other projects in the pipeline include the Waddi (140MW) wind and solar project in Western Australia, the Western Downs (250MW), Chewko (80MW) and Dysart (120MW) solar projects in Queensland, and the North Creek (330MW) wind project in Queensland.

Full article : https://reneweconomy.com.au/tilt-lands- ... arm-37120/

[bits]

Elizabeth City Centre with 6MW solar installed.

[SRW]

Noticed carpark solar going up at Castle Plaza the other week too. I'd rather no open air carparks but if they're going be there this is a great use of space and provision of shade.

[bits]

Castleplaza is same owner Vicinity.
It is 2.2MW.