By Anton Lang ~
This Post details the daily power consumption data for the AEMO coverage area in Australia. For the background information, refer to the Introductory Post at this link.
Each image is shown here at a smaller size to fit on the page alongside the data for that day. If you click on each image, it will open on a new page and at a larger size so you can better see the detail.
Note also the scale change for some of the images. That scale (the total power shown on the left hand axis) has been changed to show the graph at a larger size.
Sunday 15th July 2018
Total Power Generation All Sources
Here, the black line is the total power generation from every source. This is also the same as for total power consumption, which is slightly lower after minor grid losses are taken into account.
The Blue line is all fossil fuelled power generation. The orange line is hydro power generation. The purple line is wind power generation, and the red line is for solar power generation.
Both of those (exact) figures for total power consumption for the daily minimum and the daily Peak are taken directly from the AEMO site, adding up the totals for each of the five States in this coverage area.
Note the slight difference between Total Consumed Power and Total Generated Power. That indicates some of the losses in the grid system.
Daily Minimum Power Consumption – 18740MW
Daily Peak Power Consumption – 28490MW
Daily Minimum Generated Power – 19200MW
Daily Maximum Generated Power – 29100MW
Average Total Power Generation – 23100MW
Total Power Generation In GWH – 554.4GWH
All Fossil Fuels Total – Coal Fired and Natural Gas Fired Power Generation
Here, the upper black line is the total from all fossil fuels, and this is the same as the blue line in the image directly above.
The black line just under that top black line is the Sub Total just for coal fired power. Note here how closely that coal fired line follows the shape of the upper Load Curve, and this indicates that coal fired power can be ramped up and down to follow actual power consumption.
Daily Minimum Coal Fired – 15400MW
Daily Peak Coal Fired – 19100MW
Average Coal Fired Generation – 17200MW
Total Generated Power – 412.8GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 74.46%
Natural Gas Fired Power Generation
This image for Natural Gas Fired Power Generation shows the gap between the total for all Fossil Fuelled Sources of power generation and Coal Fired Power Generation in the image directly above.
Note here how closely the shape follows the total power generation Load Curve in the top image, indicating how these natural gas fired plants are used to smooth out the load curve to match actual power consumption.
Note also that while coal fired power provides the bulk of the power, these natural gas fired plants are used to add more power to the system during those time periods during the day when consumption rises for the morning peak, and the main evening Peak
Daily Minimum – 500MW
Daily Peak – 3500MW
Average Natural Gas Fired Generation – 1190MW
Total Generated Power – 28.56GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 5.15%
All Renewable Power Generation Versus Total Power Generation
This Image shows just the gap between total power generation from every source and the total power from renewable sources only. It is the same image as the first image at the top here, only with the fossil fuelled total (the blue line) removed from the graph, As in that top image, it shows Hydro Power, (orange line) wind power, (purple line) and solar power. (red line) What I have then done is added the black line just above those coloured lines and this indicates the Sub Total of power from those three renewable sources only. This is to highlight the gap between the total power generation and the total from renewable sources alone.
All Renewable Power Generation (Does not include rooftop solar generation)
This image is the same as for the one directly above for all renewable power, only with the total from all sources removed from the graph. As the scale of the left hand vertical axis has now changed, you can better see the detail of all renewable power. Again, the orange line is for hydro, the purple line is for wind, and the red line is for solar, and the black line is the Sub total for all renewable power. The other colour just showing indicates smaller plants, mostly using biofuels as their fuel source, tiny plants adding up to a very small total and for a short time duration.
Daily Minimum – 3400MW
Daily Peak – 6500MW
Average Renewable Generation – 4710MW
Total Generated Power – 113.04GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 20.39%
Hydro Power Generation
This image shows all Hydro power generation. It is the same as the orange line in the top image for power generation from all sources.
Again, note here that the shape of this load curve follows the shape of the main load curve for all power generation, in that it has similar peaks in the morning and for the man evening Peak. The coloured lines at the bottom of this graph indicate the power generation from each of the hydro plants in this coverage area.
Daily Minimum – 1000MW
Daily Peak – 4000MW
Average Hydro Generation – 2220MW
Total Generated Power – 53.28GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 9.61%
Wind Power Generation
This image shows the total power generated by every wind plant in this vast coverage area. It is the same as for the purple coloured line in the image at the top showing generation from all sources.
The total Nameplate for all these wind plants is just under 5225MW.
Note that the shape of this load curve does not follow the shape of the main load curve for total power generation. Wind power generates its power only when the wind is blowing, hence it does not follow actual power consumption levels.
Daily Minimum – 1900MW
Daily Peak – 2700MW
Average Wind Generation – 2360MW
Total Generated Power – 56.64GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 10.22%
Solar Power Plant Generation
This image shows the total power generated from all the solar power plants in this coverage area. This is the same as for the red coloured line you can just see in that top image.
The total Nameplate for all these 16 solar plants is just lower than 1000MW.
Daily Minimum – Zero
Daily Peak – 500MW
Average Solar Plant Generation for hours of generation – 320MW (7.30AM till 5.30PM)
Average Solar Plant Generation across the whole 24 hour day – 130MW
Total Generated Power – 3.12GWH
Average Percentage Of Total across the whole 24 hour day– 0.56%
Rooftop Solar Power Generation
As this source of power generation is classed as ‘behind the meter’, it is not included in the total power generation. Note here that the State of Queensland (QLD on the legend under the graph) is broken down into four separate areas as this is the largest State with the largest number of installations.
While the total Nameplate changes often, the latest information is that the total is now 7800MW, and that is a large total. However, that total equates to 1.8 Million homes with panels on their roof. That equates to an average sized installation of 4.3KW. Most of the power is consumed by the homes with the panels, and what is fed back to the grid, while seemingly still high is spread across that huge number of installations across the whole of this coverage area.
Daily Minimum – Zero
Daily Peak – 3500MW
Average For Hours of Generation – 2200MW (7.30AM till 5.30PM)
Average Rooftop Solar Generation across the whole 24 hour day – 900MW
Total Generated Power – 21.6GWH
Average Percentage Of Total across the whole 24 hour day – %
Notes
- Finding Averages – On each graph there are 9 time points. Add the total at each time point together, and divide by 9. For coal fired power, I do this on a State by State basis (for the 3 States with coal fired power) and then add the total for each State together.
- For both solar power averages, I have used the average for a (half) Sine Wave which is 0.637 of the Peak value.
- For total power in GWH, multiply the average daily power by 24, and then divide by 1000.
- The total percentages for coal fired power, natural gas fired power and all renewables adds up to 100%.
- The total percentages for Hydro, Wind, and Solar adds up to the total percentage for all Renewables.
- Total Generated Power is expressed here as GWH (GigaWattHours) and a GWH is a MWH (MegaWattHour) multiplied by 1000
Comments For This Day
On this day, the Sunday, the figures were similar for the day before, lower on the weekend than on working days, and while relatively similar, the mix changed again, as it nearly always does, and those changes in the mix are always because of the changes in wind power alone. Part of the increased power consumption lately has been the really cold Winter weather, and this has been widespread across most of Australia. A number of places have had record low temperatures for their overnight minimums, and even the daily maximum temperatures have been colder than is normal, even for Winter.
The minimum power consumption, that 4AM Base Load was 540MW lower, and while this figure was lower, the evening peak power consumption was actually larger, by 900MW.
The average for power generation from every source was only 100MW lower, at an average of 23100MW per hour.
The average for coal fired power stayed the same at 17200MW, and there are still only four of those coal fired Units off line. Another of the Units at the Eraring plant in New South Wales dropped off in power generation to around half of its normal output a couple of times during the day for around three hours each time, so there may be a problem with that Unit on the way. One of the Units at the Gladstone power plant also was off line during the day, but for only four hours, before coming back up. Even with those two slight anomalies, that average for coal fired power stayed the same across the day.
The average for wind power was way up on the day at an average of 2360MW, up from yesterday’s average by 750MW. This average for wind gave it a daily operational Capacity Factor of 45%.
The average for power generated from solar plants was up by 10MW to 130MW, just a bit more than half of one percent of what was required during the day for consumption.
With wind power up, you can see that the average for natural gas fired power was low, and look at that graph for natural gas fired power, where it was low all day, and only rose steeply to cover the requirement for extra power during that evening peak. Also, now look at the graph above it showing the two black lines, the lower one for just coal fired power, and note how close it is with the overall fossil fuel black line above it, staying close until that evening peak kicked in, and extra power was required. Natural gas fired power was either at or around only 500MW for most of the day, so very few of these plants were running at all, until they were needed.
The average for hydro power was also lower, but again, as with natural gas fired power, note when it comes on line, when it is needed to deliver extra power for that evening peak.
This was another day when coal fired power again delivered almost 75% of all the generated power, proving that is the MOST essential power generation source in the Country.
*****
WEEKLY DATA For Week Nine.
UPDATE
For this week, and for all following weeks, I have added a second rolling total. The first Rolling Total shows the generated power figures only for the major sources of power plant generation, and while Rooftop Solar Power is added on at the end, it is shown as behind the meter, hence not a power plant generated power total.
For the second Rolling Total, I have added the rooftop solar power to the power plant overall total to give a new total generated power figure, and from that I have recalculated the percentages for each of the sources.
Notes For Weekly and Rolling Totals
- Here, the Overall is 100%, so Coal + Natural Gas (NG) + Renewable adds up to that 100%
- Hydro, Wind and Solar add up to the total for Renewable.
- For the first Rolling Total, Rooftop Solar Power (which is behind the meter) is a percentage of the overall total and on top of that total.
- For the second Rolling Total, Rooftop Solar Power is added to the total overall power generation, and new percentages are calculated from that new overall total.
- Total Generated Power is expressed here as GWH (GigaWattHours) and a GWH is a MWH (MegaWattHour) multiplied by 1000.
WEEKLY TOTALS (In GWH)
Week Overall Coal NG Renewable Hydro Wind Solar Rooftop Solar
Week 9 4063.2 3007.2 396.48 659.52 459.84 181.2 18.48 163.8
Percentage of total 74.01% 9.76% 16.23% 11.32% 4.46% 0.45% 4.03%
COMMENTS for this week.
I have split the weekly total away from the Rolling Totals to differentiate them one from the other. It also raises a point that I might be including too much information on the data, but that’s just the way I prefer to do things, so I can give as comprehensive a picture as I can on this data. Over these last ten years I have chased up information about power generation, and in every case, that data has only become available after a full year has gone by. It’s good thing to have that data, but in doing it only on a yearly basis, the detail of what actually happens on the shorter term basis gets lost. All you get is the overall picture on what happened during that last whole year, and here in Australia, that data does not become available for a further six Months after the end of that recording year, and sometimes even longer than that. In doing it the way I am doing it here, I have the daily breakdown of data, I can then tell readers what happened on that day, and then at the end of the week, give an overview for that previous week, and then also add up the Rolling Totals as well.
*****
During this last week, now firmly into Winter the total power consumption, and from that, power generation, was higher, albeit by not very much. The big change for this week was in wind power which, after such a good week last week, had a bad week this week, and that alters the mix of power generation. However, having said that, the one source that wind power has no effect on is coal fired power, as for the week, coal fired power was only slightly higher than for last week, barely 3% higher, almost exactly reflecting the 3% change in the total generated power.
The most noticeable effect that the change in wind power has is on the average for natural gas fired power, and while that figure for wind power was so low, the average for natural gas fired power was more than double what it was last week when the wind power average was high. That was also reflected in the average for hydro power, also higher because wind power was lower.
That total generated power from wind power saw it have an operational Capacity Factor for the week of only 19.5%, well below the yearly average. Also, see how having these daily, and weekly Posts, you actually get to see what happens on that daily and weekly basis, rather than just that overall picture for the year. The total power delivery from wind power for this week was only slightly more than one third of what it delivered last week, and for the week, it only supplied less than 5% of the power required to keep the Country running.
The power delivered from those solar power plants is again something that needs to be highlighted also on that daily and weekly basis, and for the same reason. Here we are in Winter, and solar power plant power at its peak for the day is only half of its Nameplate, and that peak is barely for an hour or so. The average power generation for the week gives solar power an operational Capacity Factor for the week of only 11.4%, and even then, the total power delivered from every one of those wind plants only sees them delivering 0.45% of the power required during the day, less than half of one percent.
Adding up both of those favoured renewable sources, both wind and solar power, you still see it struggling to deliver 5% of the power needed for the whole week.
So, if it wasn’t for the fact that hydro power was included with renewables, then that renewable total would be nowhere as large as it seemingly is, with just for this week alone, hydro power delivering more than double what came from wind and solar power.
Again, as always, it was coal fired power which delivered the vast bulk of all the power required to keep the Country running, just less than three quarters of it, and when you add in natural gas fired power, that total from fossil fuelled sources was almost 85%.
*****
ROLLING TOTALS (In GWH) (Just power generation from power plants with rooftop solar behind the meter)
For these totals, Coal + NG + Renewable = 100%. Hydro + Wind + Solar = Renewable Percentage
Week Overall Coal NG Renewable Hydro Wind Solar Rooftop Solar
After Week 9 35526.8 26275.2 3008.4 6243.2 3742.1 2361.02 140.08 1302.06
Percentage of total 74.01% 8.47% 17.57% 10.53% 6.65% 0.39% 3.65%
ROLLING TOTALS (In GWH) (With rooftop solar added to the overall total, and new percentages calculated from that new overall total)
For these totals, Coal + NG + Renewable = 100%. Hydro + Wind + Solar + Rooftop Solar = Renewable Percentage
Week Overall Coal NG Renewable Hydro Wind Solar Rooftop Solar
After Week 9 36828.86 26275.2 3008.4 7545.26 3742.1 2361.02 140.08 1302.06
Percentage of total 71.34% 8.17% 20.49% 10.16% 6.41% 0.38% 3.54%
COMMENTS for this week.
You’ll notice here that the Rolling Totals change slightly when the total for rooftop power is added on. What it does is to make the total for all those renewable power sources slightly higher, and because the total from all sources is higher, then that changes the percentages for all the sources.
As you can see from this, coal fired power is still above 70%, dropping only a little less than 3%, and the total for fossil fuels, when you add on the total for natural gas is still close to 80%.
You can also see that hydro power is what gives renewable power that relatively high total of 20%, and hydro power alone delivers half of that renewable power total.
That average after 9 weeks for wind power gives wind power an operational Capacity Factor for these last nine weeks of 28.3%, just a little lower than the year round average, but as I have shown, that wind power varies on a daily, and also on a weekly basis as well, again, something which is lost when just the ‘End Of Year’ Report is handed down, with just that one set of statistics for the whole 12 Month period.
It may be that it is just Winter, (and I have no doubt that the figures will change) but the most recent report listed coal fired power down at 65% of all power being generated for the year, and here, after settling down now with nine weeks of data, any changes are only at that second decimal point on the total, so it seems to me that coal fired power is actually delivering more power than the yearly average has it delivering.
Even so, there’s just no doubt that without coal fired power, the Country would just grind to a halt. I have no doubts that coal fired power has a long future.
*****
Anton Lang uses the screen name of TonyfromOz, and he writes at this site, PA Pundits International on topics related to electrical power generation, from all sources, concentrating mainly on Renewable Power, and how the two most favoured methods of renewable power generation, Wind Power and all versions of Solar Power, fail comprehensively to deliver levels of power required to replace traditional power generation. His Bio is at this link.
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Posted on Mon 07/16/2018 by TonyfromOz
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