Graph of the Day: South Australia’s shifting fuel mix

Today’s chart is a simple illustration of shifts in the fuel mix so far – interestingly, after a low-wind month in June, July’s high wind output means very little reliance on Victorian imports and lower exposure to high-priced gas in SA.

This illustrates the advantages of wind power but it also shows the un-realised further benefits of firmed wind power – once you start dispatching low-cost resource, it’ll reduce reliance on Victoria, add grid stability and also, quite importantly, reduce the amount of gas being dispatched in the state, resulting in (presumably) lower prices.