Virtual power plants explained: MW, MWh and the fine print
Here’s a number to sit with: AGL’s virtual power plant fleet and Origin’s Loop VPP each now coordinate tens of thousands of household batteries and solar systems across the grid, but on any given afternoon the amount of power they can actually push back into the network at the same moment is a fraction of […]
Transmission versus distribution: who owns the poles and wires
Drive along the Hume Highway between Yass and Wagga and you’ll pass under a line of steel towers strung with conductor thick as your wrist, running at 330,000 volts. Twenty minutes later, in a Wagga side street, you’ll see a wooden pole with a transformer the size of a wheelie bin feeding six houses at […]
South Australia’s renewable energy record: what it hides
On a mild, windy afternoon in late spring, South Australia’s grid can run for hours on nothing but wind and rooftop solar, with gas generators idling in reserve and the local coal fleet a memory going back to 2016. That’s not a projection. AEMO’s own market data has recorded periods where wind and solar have […]
Snowy Hydro: government giant, contested projects, uncertain returns
Snowy 2.0 has been under construction since tunnelling began in earnest in 2021, and five years on, Australians are still waiting. The project’s estimated completion date has moved more than once — the current position, as reflected in Snowy Hydro’s own public communications, is first power sometime in 2028, with full commissioning later still. The […]
Akaysha Energy: BlackRock’s big battery bet on the NEM
Three hundred and fifty megawatts. That is the nameplate power capacity of the Waratah Super Battery, the New South Wales project that put Akaysha Energy on the map — and the number that still gets repeated in a lot of coverage without enough care about what comes after it. Let’s be careful with that number: […]
Queensland’s energy plan: pumped hydro and public ownership
Borumba Dam sits about 90 kilometres northwest of the Sunshine Coast, in the Imbil State Forest. It’s not a name most Queenslanders know. By the mid-2030s, if the state government’s timetable holds, it will be the site of the largest pumped hydro project ever attempted in Australia — 2,000 MW of dispatchable capacity and up […]
Pumped hydro vs big batteries: which firms the grid?
Snowy 2.0 has now cost past $12 billion and is still not generating a single watt. Meanwhile, a 200 MW / 400 MWh battery near Liddell in the Hunter Valley was energised in stages and dispatching into the NEM within months of final investment decision. Those two sentences contain almost everything you need to know […]
Analysing Australia’s Energy Consumption
Understanding Australia’s energy consumption patterns is crucial for developing effective energy policies, managing resources, and planning for sustainable energy for the future. Energy consumption patterns in Australia reveal a lot about the economic activities of Australia, lifestyle trends and its progress towards environmental goals. Energy use, from powering homes and businesses to fueling transportation and industry, is […]
The Power of Hydropower in Australia
The hydropower in Australia plays an important role in the mix of renewable energy. Hydropower is one of the oldest forms of clean energy. It’s also the most mature and advanced renewable energy technology. It is currently used to generate electricity in more than 160 countries. This makes it a reliable source of power around the world. Hydropower […]
How Heatwaves in Australia Affect Energy Demand?
Heatwaves in Australia are usually accompanied by a significant increase in electricity consumption. This is mainly due to the increase in air conditioner use over the last two decades. In Australia, there are now 6.7 million air conditioners in households. This is up from 1.9 million in 1990. Air conditioners are working at full capacity […]