Stockyard Hill wind project.
Australia’s main grid set a new milestone for the output of wind and solar in late March – reaching a combined 8,375MW at 10am (AEST) on March 31.
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, writing in its latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report, the new level was 239MW higher than the previous record set in the third quarter of last year.
But it didn’t set a new record for the instantaneous share of variable renewables (wind and solar) in the main grid, which according to AEMO data remains at 61.8 per cent set on November 15 last year.
The market came close to that marker in the March quarter, peaking at a wind and solar share of 61.3 per cent on February 6 at noon. Such records are more likely to be set in the spring when demand is lower but wind and solar output can be strong.
Another new milestone in the March quarter came in the output of grid scale solar in the NEM, which reached 4,493MW in the half-hour ending 10.30 AEST on February 14, marginally ahead of the record set in the previous quarter.
Another key measure – average grid-scale solar generation – continued to set new records, reaching a quarterly high of 1,504 MW, some 214MW above the previous record set, thanks to the number of new solar farms in the grid.
NSW added the most, as the Metz solar farm joined the grid, and installations such as Limondale, Darlington Point, Wellington, Sunraysia and Suntop continued to ramp up towards full capacity in their commissioning processes, and despite increased network constraints.
In Queensland, the country’s biggest solar project, the 420MW Western Downs Green Energy Hub, recorded its first output, and output was assisted by a boost in solar irradiation.
Average wind generation jumped 308MW to 2,686MW, boosted by the ramp up of the firsts stages of the country’s biggest wind project, Stockyard Hill in Victoria, and the start of generation at Murra Warra 2. Tasmania wind output fell, however, due to lower wind speeds.
Over the quarter, renewables grabbed a 33.8 per cent share of generation, and “availability” of wind and solar farms rebounded as well.
See also: SA syncons deliver big savings as they set wind free and cut gas output
And: It’s time we stopped kidding ourselves that coal is “cheap and reliable”
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