Latest separation of South Australia grid puts questions around use of synchronous condensers, and rule changes appear to have made big batteries less effective.
Control versus inertia: Lessons from South Australia’s latest separation
Voltage oscillations: Solar plants suffer because regulations haven’t caught up
The voltage problems blamed on new solar farms were predictable, and the solutions obvious. But regulators have failed to keep up, and the rules they impose are daft.
Rule changes, reform needed to address poor network frequency control
Having the power system frequency poorly controlled is like driving a car on a rough road.
Is Australia’s power system strong or weak?
The argument for locating synchronous condensers with wind and solar farms is not convincing, and may make the grid weaker because they are being installed in the wrong place.
Why managing Australia’s grid is like driving a car with loose steering wheel
The East Coast power system of Australia has the worst frequency regulation in the developed world, putting it at risk whenever an event occurs which requires its fossil fuel generators to respond quickly. Because they can’t.
Inertia in power system: We don’t actually need that much
We don’t need as much inertia in the power system as many think, and with a few simple changes we won’t need to mandate inertia limits either. Here’s why.
