Grids & Integration

Germany-based Wirtgen Invest has entered the large-scale Aussie solar market with the purchase of the 140 MW Glenrowan West Solar Farm, a significant project considering its location in one of the 2020 Integrated System Plan’s Renewable Energy Zones.

Resources giant Fortescue Metals will invest $US450 million ($668 million) in the next stage of its Pilbara Energy Connect program to combine 150 MW of gas-fired generation, 150 MW of solar PV and a grid-scale battery. The hybrid generation project will provide low cost power to the Iron Bridge magnetite project currently under construction.

Singapore-based developer Vena Energy has announced that it will soon begin construction of Queensland’s largest grid-scale battery near Wandoan in the Western Downs. The 100 MW/150 MWh project will be delivered under a 15-year power purchase agreement with Australia’s biggest power producer, AGL.

After a leisurely break over the holiday period, I have returned to my desk to get right back into the analysis of what I think will be a pretty exciting year for the NEM. Connection difficulties, commissioning delays and stubbornly high storage costs point to uncertainty on the supply side, while strong rooftop uptake continues to whittle out daytime operational demand.

The breadth and depth of detail in the GSD2019 (to be released today) reveals any number of important insights into the supply side of the NEM. One theme that stood out for me as I reviewed the data was the set of challenges facing the NEM’s most recent crop of new entrant generators – utility-scale solar farms – as they come to grips with the messy reality of the electricity market.

A new report from Hydrogen Council predicts that the cost of renewable hydrogen production will fall drastically by up to 60% over the coming decade due to the declining costs of renewable electricity generation and the scaling up of electrolyzer manufacturing. Thanks to its optimal renewable resources, Australia will be among the countries most favorably placed to contribute to the development of the hydrogen economy.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor has confirmed that Australia is on its way to hit nearly 50% renewables share by 2030, the target deemed economically suicidal by the Coalition during the last election. With no mention of the widely-reported massive drop in renewable energy investment, Taylor hailed 2019 as a new record year for renewables in Australia.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has given its tick of approval to the proposed $1.53 billion electricity interconnector between Robertstown in South Australia and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. The new transmission line holds the promise of reducing power bills in both states by unlocking gigawatts of planned renewable energy projects in its close proximity.

Queensland’s Darling Downs region is set for its second large-scale solar project to gain grid connection in a matter of months as Risen Energy’s 100 MW Yarranlea Solar Farm connects to the grid for its staging procedures.

The 25MW/52MWh battery at the Lake Bonney wind farm is in the final stages of testing and close to full commercial operation. Once operational, the big Tesla battery will supply the electric car maker’s Australia EV supercharger network with renewable electricity.