This first Lessons Learnt Report looks at site selection and access, regulatory and modulator requirements, and stakeholder discussions.
Report extract
Maintaining inertia levels is critical to any power system’s secure and stable operation. If a power system operates with insufficient inertia, it is susceptible to rapid deviations in frequency when there is a sudden loss of generation. Similarly, a region that contains low inertia can become unstable should it become islanded from the rest of the grid. Inertia is typically provided by the kinetic energy stored in the momentum of rotating thermal and hydropower generation turbines but is absent in generation that is connected through power electronics such as wind and solar PV and battery storage. In Australia, as renewable generation is rapidly replacing thermal generation, the inertia level of the whole system is rapidly reducing, and some regions are experiencing critically low inertia levels. This trend will almost certainly increase as the transition continues. These challenges will require new and advanced tools and solutions to manage system stability cost-effectively.