By Anton Lang ~
This Post details the daily wind power generation 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 that on some days, there will be a scale change for the main wind power image, and that even though images may look similar in shape for the power generation black line on the graph when compared to other days, 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.
Tuesday 4th February 2020
Total Wind Power Generation
This image shows the total power generated across the whole day by every wind plant in this vast AEMO coverage area for Australia.
The total Nameplate for all these wind plants changes as each new wind plant comes on line delivering power to the grid. That current Nameplate is 6960MW, and this is from the current total of 57 wind plants.
Note that the shape of this wind power load curve does not follow the shape of the main load curve for total power generation, and that is seen in the image below, the solid black line across the top of the image for that graph. Wind power generates its power only when the wind is blowing, hence it does not follow the actual power generation Load Curve, which is also the the exact same shaped curve as for actual power consumption.
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 (around 4AM each day) and maximum power consumption, the evening Peak. (at around 6.40PM in Winter and earlier during the Summer Months.)
Daily Minimum – 1131MW (12.05PM)
Daily Maximum – 2507MW (8.45PM)
Average Wind Generation – 1846MW
Total Generated Power – 44.30GWH
Percentage Supplied By Wind Power At The Low Point For The Day – 4.41%
Percentage Supplied By Wind Power At Peak Power For The Day – 1309MW of 25900MW – 11.00AM – 5.05%
Average Percentage Of Overall Total Power Generation – 8.00%
Daily Operational Capacity Factor – 26.52%
Wind Power Generation Versus Total Power Generation
This image shows the total power generated from all the wind plants in this AEMO coverage area, and compares it to the overall total generated power from every source of power generation, which is the black line at the top of the graph. Wind power is the green coloured area, along the bottom of this graph.
While the green colour in this image looks to be a different shape to the graph above, keep in mind here that the scale is completely different, and that green coloured Wind total is the same as for the image shown above, only with the scale changed so it can fit onto the graph.
Notes
- Finding Wind Power Average – On the graph, there are 25 hourly time points, starting with midnight and finishing with midnight. I have added the total at each of those hourly time points together, and divided the resultant total by 25 to give an average in MegaWatts. (MW)
- For total power in GWH, multiply the average daily power by 24, and then divide by 1000.
- For the Capacity Factor, that is calculated by dividing the average wind generation by the current Nameplate and then multiplying that by 100 to give a percentage.
Comments For This Day
On this day, wind power was a little lower than it was on the day before, and that average of 1846MW gave wind power generation a daily operational Capacity Factor of 26.5%, lower than the year round average. At the moment, that average for wind power is a little lower because the largest wind plant in the Country, Macarthur Wind Plant is still off line, delivering no power at all, and so far now, it has been doing that, delivering no power to the grid, since last Friday, four full days. Wind power was low when needed the most, and across the full day, still only supplied 8% of the all generated power.
*****
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.
OzWindPowerGenerationTFO
Robber
Sun 02/09/2020
Tony, re Macarthur : Found at RenewEconomy Feb 2: “South Australia’s electricity grid will be effectively “islanded” for up to two weeks, following the dramatic weather events on Friday that resulted in a tornado knocking down at six large transmission towers on one of the main 500kV lines in Victoria.” “The loss of the towers north of Colac, on the Moorabool to Mortlake and Moorabool to Tarrone transmission lines, has effectively closed the main electricity highway between Victoria and South Australia (the Heywood Interconnector).” “But to deal with this unique situation, AEMO is implementing a series of constraints – including limiting and shutting down the output of four wind farm operations.”
AEMO has also reconfigured the network to allow SA to supply electricity through the smaller MurrayLink interconnector, to ensure continued power to the Alcoa Aluminium Smelter in Portland, Victoria. https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/fragile-grid-fix-darkens-future-for-portland-20200202-p53wxl
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TonyfromOz
Sun 02/09/2020
Robber,
thanks for finding that. I was wondering why Macarthur was down. When I look at those wind plants in a little more depth now, I notice that there are a few of them which ar off line totally, no output at all, and in that general area, and some of those in South Australia as well.
It seems we can get along without almost ten wind plants at zero ….. and hardly even notice there’s a loss of those wind plants at all.
That says a lot.
It’s 9AM Monday morning now, and the total output from EVERY wind plant in South Australia is ….. ZERO. From a Nameplate of 2142MW.
Tony.
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