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 all of the images, and that even though they look similar in size of generation, that scale (the total power shown on the left hand vertical axis) has been changed to show the graph at a larger size to better fit the image for that graph.
Sunday 23rd June 2019
Total Power Generation All Sources
Here, the total power generation from every power plant source is the top of the load curve, with each colour indicating a source of power generation. This is also similar to the total power consumption, which is slightly lower after minor grid losses are taken into account.
The dark grey colour is for the black coal fired power generation. The yellowish colour is for the brown coal fired power generation. The purple colour is for natural gas fired power generation. The blue colour is for Hydro (water) power generation. The green colour is for wind power generation. The red colour in the dip between the two peaks is for solar power plant generation. The other colours mixed in with the rest of them are from those smaller Other sources. Rooftop solar power is not included on this graph, as this shows just the power generation from all power plants only.
In the data below, 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. Also, 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 – 19440MW (4.10AM)
Daily Peak Power Consumption – 29360MW (6.20PM)
Daily Minimum Generated Power – 19500MW (4.10AM)
Daily Maximum Generated Power – 29700MW (6.20PM)
Average Total Power Generation – 24300MW
Total Power Generation In GWH – 583.2GWH
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 for all three colours, the grey, dark yellow and purple colours combined in the image directly above.
The black line just under that top black line is the Sub Total just for coal fired power, and that is the same as the combined colours of the grey and ark yellow on the image above. 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 – 15790MW
Daily Peak Coal Fired – 19550MW
Average Coal Fired Generation – 17610MW
Total Generated Power – 422.64GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 72.47%
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 – 1210MW
Daily Peak – 5210MW
Average Natural Gas Fired Generation – 2240MW
Total Generated Power – 53.76GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 9.22%
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 the three renewable sources only. It is the same image as the first image at the top here, only with the fossil fuelled total (the grey, yellow and purple colours) and those smaller Other sources removed from the graph, As in that top image, it shows Hydro Power, (blue colour) wind power, (green colour) and solar power. (red colour) This image is used here to highlight the gap between the total power generation (that black line, which also includes RTS as well) 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 blue colour is for hydro, the green colour is for wind, and the red colour is for solar. The other colours you can just make out 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. For this data, I have added the times for the daily minimum, and the daily maximum, to show how they do not correlate with the actual times of minimum power consumption (4AM) and maximum power consumption. (around 6/6.30PM)
Daily Minimum – 2200MW
Daily Peak – 5200MW
Average Renewable Generation – 3690MW
Total Generated Power – 88.56GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 15.18%
Generation From Other Sources
This image shows the power being generated from the smaller sources other than the major sources of power generation. These include Natural Gas/Diesel, Natural gas/Fuel Oil, Coal Seam Methane, Diesel, Kerosene, Waste Coal Mine Gas and Bagasse. All of these are fossil Fuels, excepting Bagasse which is sugar cane waste mostly used to provide main and auxilliary power at sugar mills.
Note the scale change here, as these are smaller producers of power, and the scale is changed so they can be more easily shown on the graph.
For the data here, I have just added the average generation across the day, the total generated power from all these sources, and the percentage of the total.
Average Generation – 760MW
Total Generated Power – 18.24GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 3.13%
Hydro Power Generation
This image shows all Hydro power generation. It is the same as the blue colour 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 main 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 – 1430MW
Daily Peak – 4340MW
Average Hydro Generation – 2420MW
Total Generated Power – 58.08GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 9.96%
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 green coloured line in the image at the top showing generation from all sources.
The total Nameplate for all these wind plants is 6702MW, from a total of 55 wind plants.
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.
For this data, I have added the times for the daily minimum, and the daily maximum, to show how they do not correlate with the actual times of minimum power consumption (4AM) and maximum power consumption. (around 6/6.30PM in Winter and earlier during the Summer Months.)
Daily Minimum – 290MW (10.40AM)
Daily Peak – 1750MW (11.55PM)
Average Wind Generation – 800MW
Total Generated Power – 19.2GWH
Average Percentage Of Total – 3.29%
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 area you can just see in that top image.
The total Nameplate for all these 35 solar plants is 2982MW.
Daily Minimum – Zero
Daily Peak – 1660MW
Average Solar Plant Generation for hours of generation – 1080MW (7.00AM till 5.30PM)
Average Solar Plant Generation across the whole 24 hour day – 470MW
Total Generated Power – 11.28GWH
Average Percentage Of Total across the whole 24 hour day – 1.93%
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 8000MW and higher, and that is a large total. However, that total equates to almost 2 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 is only consumed in the local residential areas. While seemingly still high this total is spread across that huge number of installations across the whole of this coverage area.
Daily Minimum – Zero
Daily Peak – 3100MW
Average For Hours of Generation – 1520MW (7.00AM till 5.30PM)
Average Rooftop Solar Generation across the whole 24 hour day – 660MW
Total Generated Power – 15.84GWH
Average Percentage Of Total across the whole 24 hour day – 2.72%
Wind And Solar Power Generation Versus Total Power Generation
This image shows the total power generated from all the wind plants, and all the solar power plants in this coverage area, combined in the one image, and compares it to the overall total generated power, the black line at the top of the graph, which also includes RTS as well. Wind power is the green coloured area, and solar plant power is the red coloured area, and these are the same as shown in those other coloured images at the top of the Post.
I have also added the data below for the total generated power for both wind and solar plant power combined, and the percentage of the overall total below for the maximum power from both sources with respect to the overall total, both at the maximum for both, and then for the total for both at the daily peak Power time.
Daily Peak for Wind and Solar Plant Power – 2100MW
Average Across the whole day – 1270MW
Total Generated Power – 30.48GWH
Average Percentage of Total across the whole 24 hour day – 5.22%
Total Generated power at the daily maximum for both wind and solar plant power, the time of that maximum, and percentage of the total at that daily maximum – 2100MW – 2.05PM – 9.68%
Total Generated power for wind and solar plant power at Peak Power Consumption time for the day, and percentage of total at that daily Peak Power time – 1000MW – 6.20PM – 3.37%
Overall Total With Rooftop Solar Power Added
This image shows the overall total generated power with Rooftop Solar Power (RTS) added to the total from all of the power plants. RTS is shown here as that orange colour added near the top of the graph in the middle, during daylight hours, and is indicated on the legend below the graph as Rooftop PV (PhotoVoltaics). The new overall total is that black line along the top of the Load Curve. Note here that with this RTS total added, the shape of the full load curve, the black line now looks almost exactly as Summer load curves used to look prior to the advent of RTS, and all those panels on roofs of private dwellings.
Notes
- Finding Averages – On each (non solar) graph, there are 25 hourly time points, starting with midnight and finishing with midnight. I have added the total at each time point together, and divided by 25.
- For both solar power averages, I have used the same addition of hourly time points and then divided by the same number of those time points of actual generation. Every so often, as the days get longer (or shorter after Summer) I change the hours of generation as those hours change.
- 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, all renewables, and those other smaller sources add 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
This was the Sunday, traditionally the day of lowest power consumption for the week, and this Sunday was no different, and total power generation from every source for the day was 583.2GWH at an hourly average of 24300MW, a fall over the day before of just 150MW. However, with mid Winter now fully upon the whole Country, it’s worth comparing to the level of last Sunday when the average was only 22400MW, 1900MW lower, so this Sunday’s total was 8.5% higher than it was last Sunday.
The early AM Base Load was 300MW lower at 19500MW, and note here that even on the day of lowest power consumption that minimum for the day is still 1500MW higher than the year round average for this indicator. The evening peak was higher by 900MW to 29700MW, and it’s a rare thing to see that peak so high for a weekend day, as it’s usually only that high on working week days. That single point in time peak was reached twice across a period of almost two hours when it was higher than 29500MW, again, indicating more cold weather than anything else, as heaters were put to good use in the homes across Australia at that time. Across the five States with their individual peaks at differing times, the peak in New South Wales (NSW) was 270MW higher. In Queensland, their peak was 170MW higher. In Victoria, it was 350MW higher. In the two States with the lowest power consumption, the peak in South Australia was 140MW higher, and in Tasmania, it was 70MW higher.
With the overall lower, coal fired power was also lower, down by 140MW to an hourly average of 17610MW. The range between the low for the day and the high was 3760MW, and coal fired power generated a maximum for the day of 19550MW. In Queensland, Unit 1 at the Stanwell plant which was reducing output late the previous evening, finally reached zero output at 1AM. There are six of those coal fired Units off line, four in Queensland, and one each in NSW and Victoria.
The average for natural gas fired power was actually higher by 90MW, again coming into play mainly at that higher evening peak, something not usual for a weekend day, as was the extra required from this source in the morning on this day, as usually, it is almost a flat line of power generation on these weekend days. The average for those smaller Other sources was also lower, down by 30MW. Along with that rise for natural gas fired power, the average for hydro power was also higher, up by 30MW, and on this day, delivering more than natural gas fired power, also not usual for this source. The average for solar plant power was lower on the day, down by 20MW.
After a week of really low power generation from wind power, it was lower on this day, down by 80MW to an average of just 800MW, and that gave wind power a daily operational Capacity Factor of 11.34%, barely more than one third of the year round average.
With the overall lower, and coal fired power also down, coal fired power still supplied 72.47% of all the power needed for consumption on this day.
*****
WEEKLY DATA For Week Thirty Eight.
Notes For Weekly and Rolling Totals
- Here, the Overall is 100%, so Coal + Natural Gas (NG) + Other + 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 Total Coal NG Other Renew Hydro Wind Solar Rooftop Solar
38 4208.4 2919.36 475.2 142.32 671.42 437.28 161.04 73.2 108.48
Percent of total 69.37% 11.29% 3.38% 15.96% 10.39% 3.83% 1.74% 2.58%.
COMMENTS for this week.
Winter set in across most of the Country this week, and power consumption rose considerably. The overall power generation for the week was that figure of 4208.4GWH, and that was a very large 9.6% higher than it was for the week before this one, and that total generated power for the week is at an hourly average (for 24 hours of seven days) of 25050MW, a rise of 2186MWMW over last week’s average, a pretty substantial rise. That total power generation has not been that high now for 22 weeks, and the last time it was that high was in mid Summer.
When it came to the daily indicators, the lowest Base Load or the week was on Sunday when it was 18500MW the only day lower than 19000MW, and the highest was on Thursday at 20100MW, and keep in mind here that the yearly average is 18000MW. The lowest peak was on the Saturday when it was 28800MW, and the highest peak was on Thursday when it reached 30100MW, and there were three days when it was higher than that 30000MW mark, and for a few hours on each of those three days it was above 30000MW. The lowest average for the week was on Sunday when it was 24300MW, and the highest average for the week was 26250MW on Thursday. That difference of between the low and the high average for the week was only 8%.
Coal fired power delivered more power this week than for the week before, and that total power delivered by coal fired power of 2919.36MW was at an hourly average across the week of 17377MW, and that was 8.4% higher than last week. The highest range low to high on any given day was 4540MW on Tuesday, and the highest power generation from coal fired power for the week was 19890MW on Friday, more than 220MW higher than last week’s maximum. This week there were between four and seven of those coal fired Units off line, and the week ended with six of them off line.
The two other CO2 generating sources of natural gas fired power, and those smaller Other sources were also well higher this week, and for that niche supplier with so many small generators, those Other sources, this week was the second highest total power for the week that source has ever generated, the last on one of those big days of last Summer.
That total for the three renewables was lower this week. that was despite hydro power also having one of its biggest weeks for power generation, total not seen since last Winter. The total power delivered from solar plants was also higher this week, not because they performed well, but because there are more plants on line now, so its Nameplate is higher, but that is tempered by the fact that even with such a high Nameplate now, it still only delivers 1.74% of all generated power.
This was a poor week for wind power, pitiful in fact. Despite a number of new wind plants coming on line in the last year, hence an increased Nameplate by more than 1400MW to what is now 6702MW, this was the worst week for power generation wind power has had since I started taking this data on a daily basis. That total power generated by wind power of 161.04GWH equates to an hourly average of just 958MW, and that gave wind power an operational Capacity Factor for the week of 14.62%, less than half its year round average of 30%. On most days wind was at its lowest when as much power as can be delivered was needed the most, at those evening peak power times, and for most of the week, at that time, wind power averaged between 0.5% and 2.5% of all generated power, and what needs to be considered here is that those peaks are after the Sun has gone down for the day, so that is all the power being delivered from wind power, solar plant power, and rooftop solar power, those three favoured power sources we are told are the way of the future to replace coal fired power. This is really not acceptable for a source of power generation that has cost such an enormous amount of money. For this whole week, wind power only delivered 3.83% of all generated power.
On a week when so much extra power was required to keep the Country operating, coal fired power delivered 69.37% of all that generated power. There really just is no substitute.
*****
ROLLING TOTALS After Week Thirty Eight (In GWH) (Just power generation from power plants with rooftop solar behind the meter)
For these totals, Coal + NG + Other + Renewable = 100%. Hydro + Wind + Solar = Renewable Percentage
Week Total Coal NG Other Renew Hydro Wind Solar Rooftop Solar
38 143677.2 105291.36 12426 3148.08 22811.76 9623.76 10586.88 2601.12 6743.28
Percent of total 73.28% 8.65% 2.19% 15.88% 6.70% 7.37% 1.81% 4.69%
ROLLING TOTALS After Week Thirty Eight (In GWH) (With rooftop solar added to the renewable total, and the overall total, and new percentages calculated from that new overall total)
For these totals, Coal + NG + Other + Renewable = 100%. Hydro + Wind + Solar + Rooftop Solar = Renewable Percentage
Week Total Coal NG Other Renew Hydro Wind Solar Rooftop Solar
38 150420.48 105291.36 12426 3148.08 29555.04 9623.76 10586.88 2601.12 6743.28
Percent of total 70.00% 8.26% 2.09% 19.65% 6.40% 7.04% 1.73% 4.48%
COMMENTS for this week.
Again, these Rolling Totals change very little after so many weeks now. Despite both wind power and solar power increasing their Nameplate, both of their percentages were lower. The big changes, barely one to two tenths of a percentage point were natural gas fired power and hydro power, both needed when extra power is required to ‘top up’ the grid at times of increased power consumption in mid Winter.
The fact that this was the worst week for wind power since I have been keeping this data, that really low amount of power generated across the week lowered the operational Capacity Factor for these last 38 weeks, and that figure is 27.78%.
Renewable power in total went a little lower this week, still stubbornly below 20%, even though hydro is what is keeping that figure so high, because take that away from those renewables, and those three renewables only come in at 13.2% of all generated power. (the second Rolling Total, with rooftop solar added on)
Even with the overall rising so much, coal fired power is still right on that 70% of the total for all power generation from every source.
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 06/24/2019 by TonyfromOz
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