The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has released two updated engineering roadmaps that explore how Australia’s power systems can overcome the technical barriers of operating with higher contributions of renewable energy.
The power system reports for the National Electricity Market (NEM) and Western Australia’s SWIS (South West Interconnected System) examine the technical changes required as coal generators retire and are replaced by a range of renewable technologies, such as solar panels, wind turbines, hydro and batteries.
AEMO CEO, Daniel Westerman, said that electricity generated from the sun, wind and water is already meeting 40 per cent of our energy needs throughout the year, peaking at world-leading records above 72 per cent on the east coast and 84 per cent on the west coast.
“AEMO must be ready to operate the power system under all foreseeable conditions, including during periods of world-leading contribution from rooftop solar and grid-scale renewable energy.
“We are working with leading international peers and local industry to remove the technical constraints to harnessing more renewable energy for the benefit of Australian homes and businesses,” Mr Westerman said.
Building on previous publications, including the Engineering Framework in 2020 and NEM Engineering Roadmap 2022, the latest NEM Engineering Roadmap 2024 update outlines progress made in the past 12 months and details AEMO’s priority actions for the year ahead.
Achievements in the 2023–24 financial year include developing specifications for grid-forming inverters and electric vehicle standards for grid operation, advancing rooftop solar inverter compliance and last resort rooftop solar backstop requirements, and providing input into the National CER Roadmap.
Achievements under the NEM Engineering Roadmap and the WA Government’s Energy Transformation Strategy provide a springboard for the latest SWIS Engineering Roadmap, which presents the engineering actions required to support increased use of renewables in Western Australia’s largest grid.
The report builds on AEMO’s SWIS Integrating Utility-scale Renewables and Distributed Energy Resources report in 2019, and SWIS Renewables Integration Paper Update in 2021.
“Initiatives with industry helped South Australia meet all of the state’s electricity needs entirely from rooftop solar for a period on 31 December last year,” Mr Westerman said.
“South Australia’s world leading contribution from rooftop solar systems has been made possible through the installation of power system equipment to keep the grid secure, advances in the connection between rooftop solar and the grid, and the implementation of policies which protect consumers from unwanted disruptions.
“These initiatives are part of a broader effort to support the continuous increase of renewables in the energy mix, while ensuring a secure and reliable supply of electricity for consumers,” Mr Westerman said.
The two engineering reports, including previous priority reports, are available on the AEMO website.
Image credit: Komsan Loonprom/Shutterstock.com.
