How Pathetic is the ‘Performance’ of Australia’s Wind Power Fleet?

There’s nothing like wind power when it comes to delivering grid chaos. It’s all about the weather, really.

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what’s depicted above and below speaks volumes about just how pathetic is the ‘performance’ of Australia’s wind power fleet. Spread from Far North Queensland, across the ranges of NSW, all over Victoria, Northern Tasmania and across South Australia its 6,960 MW of capacity routinely delivers just a trickle of that.

Depicted above – courtesy of Aneroid Energy – is the output delivered by Australian wind power outfits to the Eastern Grid, so far this month.

Collapses of over 3,000 MW or more that occur over the space of a couple of hours are routine, as are rapid surges of equal magnitude, which make the grid manager’s life a living hell, and provide the perfect set up for power market price gouging by the owners of conventional generators, who cash in on the chaos.

Drilling down on what’s depicted above, below is the output on 7 April 2020, when the entire fleet was producing a trivial 206 MW, or 2.95% of total capacity around Noon that day:

It’s the kind of data that leads to the inevitable conclusion that the so-called ‘inevitable transition’ is complete and utter nonsense.

Rafe Champion takes a few more data points, to make exactly the same point below.

Approaching 10pm.

South Australia is importing power this evening after exporting a trickle for most of the day. 2% SA power from wind at present and across the NEM it is exactly 3%.

As we approach sunset and the peak of daily demand for electricity the wind across SE Australia is providing a tick over 3% of the power.

In case you want a hot dinner, lights and TV this evening almost 97% of the electrons will come from conventional sources, overwhelmingly coal. Providing the other three per cent has doubled the price. A remarkable achievement.

5GW of coal capacity is not being used. That is almost as much as the sun and wind were providing at their peak for the day and that is not counting unused gas and hydro capacity.

Of course the wind could pick up and it might provide 10 or 15% on a remarkably good wind day. So what? Remember it is the choke point that kills the grid.

If the RET is not one of the victims of the crisis then we are really stuffed.

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