4 ms·

The rise of solar power is jeopardising the Western Australia energy grid

mdorazio 7y ago
"The only way to manage the solar was to scale back or switch off the coal- and gas-fired power stations that were supposed to be the bedrock of the electricity system." Well that's your problem right there, combined with the previous "antiquated regulations that acted as a barrier to investment in storage capacity, such as community or grid-scale batteries." At least from the article it sounds like they recognize the solutions needed are smart storage and better over-production management. However, I don't see any talk in the article of a seemingly simple solution: add regulation that if you want to connect your panels to the grid (feeding excess generation into it) you have to also have a sizable battery connected to the grid.
ijiiijji1 7y ago
So much blame thrown around, when they obviously need pumped energy storage and neighborhood-level battery banks if unable to deploy batteries and additional in-home switch gear like inverters. Furthermore, nearly all grid-tied solar stops working when the grid goes down for "safety reasons," but that doesn't do the homeowner any good when the power is out and the sun is shining. How about a minimum of 3 average days of battery capacity per home to minimize grid load and only deliver to the grid when it's powered?
thu2111 7y ago
One of the looming problems as solar/wind power ramps up I don't see discussed much is the loss of system inertia. Grids rely (almost implicitly) on the fact that power comes from big, heavy spinning turbines of various kinds. The sheer weight and inertia of these turbines ends up synchronised together via the grid, and provides stability to it. But solar has no inertia and wind has only tiny turbines, so they don't contribute much either. As system inertia falls that will increase the risk of blackouts. I've seen this problem discussed amongst electrical/grid engineers but I've never seen reference to any solutions.

"The only way to manage the solar was to scale back or switch off the coal- and gas-fired power stations that were supposed to be the bedrock of the electricity system." Well that's your problem right there, combined with the previous "antiquated regulations that acted as a barrier to investment in storage capacity, such as community or grid-scale batteries." At least from the article it sounds like they recognize the solutions needed are smart storage and better over-production management. However, I don't see any talk in the article of a seemingly simple solution: add regulation that if you want to connect your panels to the grid (feeding excess generation into it) you have to also have a sizable battery connected to the grid.

ijiiijji1 7y ago

So much blame thrown around, when they obviously need pumped energy storage and neighborhood-level battery banks if unable to deploy batteries and additional in-home switch gear like inverters. Furthermore, nearly all grid-tied solar stops working when the grid goes down for "safety reasons," but that doesn't do the homeowner any good when the power is out and the sun is shining. How about a minimum of 3 average days of battery capacity per home to minimize grid load and only deliver to the grid when it's powered?

thu2111 7y ago

One of the looming problems as solar/wind power ramps up I don't see discussed much is the loss of system inertia. Grids rely (almost implicitly) on the fact that power comes from big, heavy spinning turbines of various kinds. The sheer weight and inertia of these turbines ends up synchronised together via the grid, and provides stability to it. But solar has no inertia and wind has only tiny turbines, so they don't contribute much either. As system inertia falls that will increase the risk of blackouts. I've seen this problem discussed amongst electrical/grid engineers but I've never seen reference to any solutions.