<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/aemo-turns-to-battery-inverters-for-world-first-trial-of-running-big-grids-with-no-synchronous-generation/>
"Off-grid industries like gold mines are already proving that they can operate
for long periods running on wind and solar alone, backed by batteries, and with
no need for any synchronous generation during those times.
It’s one thing to achieve it on a small grid with average demand in the tens of
megawatts, but can it be done on a much bigger grid, where more things can go
wrong? The answer is almost certainly yes, but no one has done it yet.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has announced a series of new
trials that will draw on battery inverters and other technologies that will
include a “world-first demonstration” of zero synchronous generation in an
islanded system larger than 100 megawatts (MW).
It’s a landmark move for a number of reasons. Australia’s transition from a
grid dominated by coal and gas to one dominated by wind, solar and storage
requires enough bulk capacity to meet customer needs.
But – as AEMO boss Daniel Westerman says, often – it also requires “system
services” such as inertia and system strength to ensure that the grid can
remain stable, provide resilience and maintain security, particularly in the
midst of disruptive events such as network failures, and generator and large
load trips.
“These trials will help bridge the gap between technical research and
implementation, allowing industry to gain insights in how new technologies and
novel applications of existing technologies can best support secure operation
in the future,” says Nicola Falcon, AEMO’s head of system design.
“The first suite of trials focuses on deepening AEMO’s understanding of how the
power system can remain secure and resilient as it transitions towards periods
with no synchronous generation online.
“The outcome of these trials will help inform operational practices and market
frameworks to ensure the NEM can operate in a system increasingly dominated by
inverter-based resources,” she said.
There are four trials planned that will focus on the ability of inverter based
technologies to provide “black start” capabilities in the case of a blackout,
run the grid with no synchronous generation, and provide “fault current”
protection to existing systems.
Another trial will look at the ability of solar PV, another inverter based
technology, to support system restoration following a blackout, particularly at
times of high rooftop PV conditions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
