[LINK] All of South Australia's power from solar panels

[Stephen Loosley]

All of South Australia's power comes from solar panels in world first for major jurisdiction

By Richard Davies  Posted Yesterday at 9:35am  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-25/all-sa-power-from-solar-for-first-time/12810366


South Australia's renewable energy boom has achieved a global milestone.

Key points:
All of SA's power came from solar for one hour on October 11
The generation of too much solar power can create grid instability
A new interconnector planned with NSW will help manage the growth of solar power

The state once known for not having enough power has become the first major jurisdiction in the world to be powered entirely by solar energy.

For just over an hour on Sunday, October 11, 100 per cent of energy demand was met by solar panels alone.

"This is truly a phenomenon in the global energy landscape," Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) chief executive Audrey Zibelman said.

"Never before has a jurisdiction the size of South Australia been completely run by solar power, with consumers' rooftop solar systems contributing 77 per cent."

Large-scale solar farms, like the ones operating at Tailem Bend and Port Augusta, provided the other 23 per cent.

Any excess power generated by gas and wind farms on that day was stored in batteries or exported to Victoria via the interconnector.

Analysts say it is a significant milestone that will happen more regularly as the pace of solar growth continues.

Rush to renewables

Despite, or perhaps because of, government inaction, consumers and businesses have flocked towards renewable energy, writes Ian Verrender.

Energy regulators say without careful management, grid stability could be at risk if there is more electricity going in than coming out.

If the interconnector is down, like it was for more than two weeks in February, that is when problems can occur.

AEMO is forecasting an additional 36,000 new solar rooftop systems will be installed in South Australia in the next 14 months.

That is on top of the 288,000 homes — about a third — already generating their own electricity.

New inverters must have software that allows them to be controlled remotely.