Wind energy hit a new record instantaneous share of 147.3 per cent of South Australia electricity demand early on Saturday morning, likely courtesy of the partially complete new link to NSW, and modified rules that allow for a single gas gas generator to spin in the background.
The new record was noted by both NEMLog and Open Electricity, with the peak occurring at 4.20am, breaking a previous record of 146.5 MW that had stood for three years, since September 2022.
The reason that record stood so long – despite the addition of the state’s largest wind farm at Goyder South earlier this year – was that the grid was seen to be at its limit, with a single link to another state and grid security rules that required at least two gas generators to operator to provide system strength.
But as Goyder South ramps to its full capacity, two things have changed. The first stage of Project EnergyConnect, the new link to NSW, has been completed – adding another 150 MW or so of potential export capacity.
On Saturday morning, South Australia was exporting around 720 MW. Total wind output at the time was more than 2,000 MW.
The other new development is the decision to dial down grid security requirements to just a single gas generator for system strength needs. That means only 40 MW of gas-fired power was being sent to the grid at the time, leaving more room for the wind energy that was providing much more than demand requirements.
We can expect those market shares to increase further in coming years, as the rest of the delayed Project EnergyConnect is completed, increasing the export capacity, and as new grid security assessments allow for no synchronous generators to be operating at certain times.
See: Grid security needs cut to single gas turbine in latest step towards 100 pct net renewables
In these instances, systems strength will come from the state’s four synchronous condensers and its growing fleet of battery storage, particularly those with grid forming investers. The eight new batteries will also be able to store excess wind and solar output, further lifting the potential of high wind and solar contributions.
South Australia currently sources an average 75 per cent of its demand needs from locally sourced wind and solar, and has a target of reaching 100 per cent “net” renewables by the end of 2027. It will be the first major grid in the world to do so.
And just to highlight how far South Australia is ahead of other states in Australia, Queensland also posted a new wind share record on Saturday – of just 27.2 per cent. Queensland, of course, remains the country’s most coal dependent state, and the new LNP government seems determined to keep it that way.
See also: Half of all homes in Australia’s most advanced renewable grid now have rooftop solar
