Big storm and no power in SA

I've been thinking about the synchronisation issue, and the comment that we need (coal-based) baseload to provide a steady 50Hz for the renewables to hook in to.

My gut feeling was that providing synchronisation in a highly distributed system without coal is certainly more complex, but not impossible.

So I did a bit of looking into the current technical articles on this matter, and found a squillion (not a technical term) articles looking in to this exact thing.

So, basically, as long as there is enough generation and storage so that the intermittent nature of wind, solar etc is not an issue, synchronisation shouldn't be an issue either.

This is a fairly short one (3 pages) that seems to explain the issues and some basic definitions, as well as comparing a couple of techniques. For those with some technical understanding.

ABSTRACT Distributed Generation (DG) System based on renewable energy sources provides a good substitute to the centralized power generation systems which consumes fossil fuels and has imposed several problems on the environment. The safe operation of DG systems requires proper synchronization with power grids by using power electronics converters. The use of Phase Locked Loop (PLL) is an important technique for grid synchronization along with control optimization. This paper presents a comparative study between Dual Synchronous Reference Frame (DSRF) PLL based on synthesis circuit and Second Order Generalized Integrator (SOGI) based PLL. The comparative study has been made on the basis of how they track the phase angle during different abnormal grid conditions like voltage sag, line to ground fault and frequency deviations. The results are obtained from MATLAB/SIMULINK environment and are analyzed for feasibility of the study.

Oh, and a phrase I thought I'd never say - something interesting an informative on this topic from Buzzfeed

An article on the development of grid sized batteries in the US

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...r-los-angeles/

An article on designing solar inverters to stabilise a grid with a lot of renewable generation:

Can Smarter Solar Inverters Save the Grid? - IEEE Spectrum

That's a very interesting article. Smart inverters or VOC could be great. The SA blackout is exactly the situation that is being studied in Hawaii, which is aiming for 100% renewable power. SA needs similar innovative approaches and it could lead the country.

Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bee utey

An article on the development of grid sized batteries in the US

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...r-los-angeles/

---

That's fascinating. Thanks. We have so much solar and wind that storage should be perfect for Australia.

Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

Smart meters will lead to more disconnections in SA, social advocates warn - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


From the article:

Quote:

---

SA has the highest electricity costs in the nation, and also, perhaps, the most unreliable, after it experienced a state-wide blackout during September initiated by wind damage to infrastructure.

---

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-1...prices/7987230

Closing Hazelwood would not have much impact apparently because other coal-fired NSW generators are well below capacity. Interesting.

Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

That's a little over simplified, but yes, I doubt we'll notice too much to start with. Some of thise plants in NSW that have spare capacity are old and not very economical, so some of those will also close in the next few years, but the other thing is most of those plants in NSW are very small, so thier spare capacity is quite small too.

Although I ultimately believe it is the right thing to do, it will leave a big hole in the market which I think will cause some issues when peak loads are required - that can't all be filled with gas, etc.

unfortunately employees must follow the work.

every solar panel must be cleaned , every reflector in an array must be cleaned.

every pivot point in the tracking panels must be checked and lubricated.

the ground around the arrays must be maintained from weeds , vermin.

fencing and security must be maintained.

people think jobs are being "lost" with the like of the coal generators closing , but new opportunities will arise all over the country as smaller alternate powered generators pop up.

I think it's going to work out quite well for small communities as work places are decentralised.

it just means people and families will have to adapt a little more as the past 50 or so years of concentrated industrials allowed families and communities to become very complacent.