Thread: Big storm and no power in SA

From what I understand, wind generation needs a functioning grid to hook into. It can't be the first generator to energise the grid. Small generators need a large generator to be the frequency regulator, or pace setter.

Aaron

South Australia has a number of generators capable of "black starting" the grid. Not enough were available at short notice on the night so the Vic interconnector was used instead. This took a little longer than expected. The jury is out on the question of whether the owners of these "black start" capable generators were 1. incompetent, unable to see a severe weather forecast and plan for it, or 2. crooked, paid to make SA's renewable resources look bad.

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...e-energy-panic

Interesting to see the public isnt buying the coal lobby's campaign to blame wind power for the SA blackout. Most people are too discerning to be conned on this, thankfully.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...e-energy-panic

Interesting to see the public isnt buying the coal lobby's campaign to blame wind power for the SA blackout. Most people are too discerning to be conned on this, thankfully.

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Public opinion with no technical information....what a joke!

What people want and what is achievable are two different things, I'd like a BJ every morning I woke up, I'm tipping if it went to vote, so would most men.....but the reality is, it aint going to happen

To discerning?.....no understanding more like it

Emotion vs logic

Originally Posted by bee utey

South Australia has a number of generators capable of "black starting" the grid. Not enough were available at short notice on the night so the Vic interconnector was used instead. This took a little longer than expected. The jury is out on the question of whether the owners of these "black start" capable generators were 1. incompetent, unable to see a severe weather forecast and plan for it, or 2. crooked, paid to make SA's renewable resources look bad.

It depends on whether they were contracted for black start or not, its not as simple as you think, are the capable of quick start? I don't know the generating plants, but if they are gas boiler, which if they are larger is more likely, they still have longer run up ties, can't just crank a boiler up from cold and hit the go button like people think!, who is going to pay for the runtime on standby? its not as clean cut as just being ready

Crooked? tin foil hat much?

Originally Posted by rovercare

It depends on whether they were contracted for black start or not, its not as simple as you think, are the capable of quick start? I don't know the generating plants, but if they are gas boiler, which if they are larger is more likely, they still have longer run up ties, can't just crank a boiler up from cold and hit the go button like people think!, who is going to pay for the runtime on standby? its not as clean cut as just being ready

I'll refer you back to this post with some info from an industry insider on what was and what was not available for black starting.

Originally Posted by rovercare

Crooked? tin foil hat much?

When you are supposed to be supplying an essential service, behaviour aimed solely at maximising the long term profit of fossil fuel generators at the expense of reliability could be termed stupid, greedy, unethical, crooked, whatever euphemism floats your narrative.

Originally Posted by bee utey

I'll refer you back to this post with some info from an industry insider on what was and what was not available for black starting.




When you are supposed to be supplying an essential service, behaviour aimed solely at maximising the long term profit of fossil fuel generators at the expense of reliability could be termed stupid, greedy, unethical, crooked, whatever euphemism floats your narrative.

The "obligation" to supply an essential service, is not that, they are not to monopolise the system, but a down unit is a down unit, as a business decision, they would not have been sitting idle "waiting" for what may not come....not that I've checked what the units are, but if a large gas boiler, run up time of 5 hrs from cold would be typical, can't just full blast a boiler, a large boiler will grow a foot or 2 in size, do that to quickly, burst a tube and your off for way longer

jet Turbines are different, but these are much smaller capacity

But I've changed my mind, its all a conspiracy, it was sabotage, arranged with mother nature to supply heavy wind so the wind turbines would cease to spin....

Mate, until their is renewable ways to supply baseload generation, why are the germans building super critical coal boilers?

Originally Posted by rovercare

It depends on whether they were contracted for black start or not, its not as simple as you think, are the capable of quick start? I don't know the generating plants, but if they are gas boiler, which if they are larger is more likely, they still have longer run up ties, can't just crank a boiler up from cold and hit the go button like people think!, who is going to pay for the runtime on standby? its not as clean cut as just being ready

Crooked? tin foil hat much?

I know stuff all about power supply but do know a lot about boilers.No you cannot just ''turn them on'' or ''turn them off'', nor can you leave them on standby. Likewise gas turbines can be started easier and left on standby but like you said,who's going to pay for it?. Pat