Why I Love To Blog -- Reason #56 -- February 2, 2018

Updates

February 4, 2018: and, yes as predicted. South Australia awards Tesla with the contract to save their grid. From Bloomberg:

South Australia plans to roll out solar panels and Tesla Inc. batteries to at least 50,000 homes to form what its government says will be the world’s largest virtual power plant. 

If you encounter a paywall, the story is also at The Guardian:

The South Australian premier said a trial was already under way to install solar panels and Tesla batteries on 1,100 Housing Trust homes. The cost would be financed by the sale of electricity. The power generated by the solar panels and the batteries would not be owned directly by the households.

The program would later be rolled out to another 24,000 public housing properties and also offered to other households with a view to having at least 50,000 Adelaide homes connected.

Not even gonna comment.

Original Post

 

I have long forgotten the origin of this story. It began at least a year or so ago. Maybe longer. I've long forgotten.

One reader from Australia alerted me to the pending implosion of the electric grid in south Australia. a year or so ago. Another reader, closer to home, alerted me to JoanneNova.com.

To make a long story short, to save the world from global warming, Australia decided some years ago -- and very recently in the big scheme of things -- to move electricity generation from coal to wind.

Coal in Australia is very, very cheap. Wind is free.

At least that's what we're told.

On January 18, 2018, spot price for electricity South Australia and environs went as high as ... hold on to your hat ... $14,000 / MWh (no typo).

When I started watching what I call "ISO Australia" (its actual name is AMEC: the Australian Energy Market Commission) I never knew where the story would go. I was simply fascinated by how the Australian grid seemed to be falling apart.

The commission set the bar low: as long as the grid held -- no brownouts or blackouts -- regardless how much it might cost the ratepayer -- the commission declared success: they were saving the world from global warming and Australians were adapting to $14,000/MWh electricity.

Well ... as noted, when I first started following "ISO Australia" I had no idea where it was going. Tonight I found out.

A reader sent me this: AEMC wants input on how to save Australia's electricity grid -- due Monday, February 6th.

As the reader noted, the commission is desperate; the commission needs help and they need it fast. Their phones must be ringing off their hooks (as we used to say).

A scary word in that sentence: "save."

The scariest words in that sentence: "by Monday February 6th."

Let's see -- it's Friday, here, February 2nd. That would make Monday, February 5th.

February 6th would be a Tuesday. Maybe AEMC, along with saving the world from global warming, uses a different calendar ... or maybe it has something to do with the International Date Line. I don't know.

But I digress. [Something tells me I'm on thin ice here; maybe Monday really is February 6th in Australia. Check Australian calendar.]

But the AEMA needs help; and they need help now. To save the grid.

They'll worry about saving the world later.

By the way, if you take time to read the story at the link, be sure to read the comments. The commission is already getting advice.

The big question is whether Elon Musk has time to save the Australian electricity grid.