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Global Insights: 13th November 2018
AUSTRALIA Renewables increasing output and reducing gas generation in the NEM The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has released the Quarterly Energy Dynamics for Q2 2018. Statistics for the quarter show an increase in renewable generation, both small and large scale; a marked reduction over the same period for gas generation and price reductions throughout the market. Drivers for the price reductions were: reduced volatility in Victoria and South Australia; increased renewable output (including hydro) and reduced demand associated with seasonal temperature decreases and a reduction in gas powered generation (GPG). Compared to the same
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Presentation: Consumer participation & market design issues
Consumer participation and market design issues From: Catherine Mitchell and Tom Pownall Presentation to: Oxford Institute of Energy Studies Electricity Day, 7 November 2018 Overview: Why this matters? Changing electricity system characteristics and needs GB Governance not fit-for-purpose Key issues for consumer participation and market design issues Is a local balancing and coordinating market helpful or unhelpful ? This presentation can be found here: Mitchell – OIES 7 November
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Global Insights: 6th November 2018
AUSTRALIA NSW launches Emerging Energy program The New South Wales (NSW) government launched its Emerging Energy program last week. The program will invest $55m on large-scale energy projects to improve the diversity of NSW energy mix. In the next 15 years 10GW of coal generation in the state will be at the end of its life. The program is designed to help replace the coal plants with large-scale, low emission, dispatchable generation. There is funding of up to $10m per capital project and $500,000 for feasibility assessments. The projects must demonstrate ‘ ‘system operational’ technology
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Global Insights: 30th October 2018
AUSTRALIA SA officially opens storage scheme South Australia (SA) has officially opened its subsidy scheme for household storage. The $200m scheme will allow households to access grants and low-interest finance to purchase battery storage and rooftop PV. The battery storage loans are on a sliding scale dependent on the amount of storage purchased. The SA government have also prioritised a nine week window for batteries that are built in SA to encourage households to buy from local manufacturers. Currently SA is leading the world in percentage of households with rooftop PV which provides up to
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Women and Energy in Academia
Women and Energy in Academia Catherine Mitchell, 29th October 2018 The recent BIEE Summer Conference had a morning breakfast session on women and energy (organised by Karoline Rogge of Sussex), and the talks can be listened to here. We speakers were all asked to answer three questions in relation to our experiences: Juliet Davenport talked about the importance of certain types of business management models; Vivien Geard from BEIS talked about public service; I concentrated on what it has been like for me in academia; and Barbara Vest from Energy UK, ably, chaired it. Since
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Presentation: Issues for GB Energy Policy and the IPCC
Issues for GB Energy Policy and the IPCC From: Catherine Mitchell Lecture to: DTU Energy Engineering, 23rd October 2018 This presentation can be found here: CM DTU GB Energy Policy_
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Blog 1 of Name, Form and Function of Distribution Entities
Name, Form and Function of Distribution Entities – clarity and agreement needed across the world Catherine Mitchell – IGov Team, 19th October 2018 The need for the traditional 3 part utility function of planning, operations and market administration broadly continues within the distribution area, even in this changing energy world, but changing technology, public policy goals, user preferences and business models are challenging whether the traditional distribution utility should still be responsible for each segment; whether the traditional role for the utility within those segments is also still necessary; and whether there are new functions
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Blog 2 of Name, Form and Function of Distribution Entities
Name, Function and Form of Distribution Entities – A brief description of the James McGinness 4 Blog Series By Catherine Mitchell – IGov team, 19th October 2018 A recent 4 blog series by James McGinness, Founding Partner of David Energy based in Brooklyn, New York City has many interesting ideas about the future needs / functions / form etc. of a fit-for-purpose distribution entity (Blog 1, Blog 2, Blog 3, Blog 4). His first blog sets out his overall argument on why now is the time to liberalise distribution networks; his 2nd blog talks more
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Global Insights: 16th October 2018
AUSTRALIA Monash University to go 100% renewable Monash University in Melbourne, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Indra Australia have announced a microgrid trial that will test the ability of the Monash University Clayton campus’ embedded network to become 100% renewable. The Au$7.1 million trial has received Au$2.97 million from ARENA and the results from the trial will be used to inform the Distributed Energy Integration Program (DEIP) announced last week and to help other universities to transition towards using renewable energy. The microgrid will use up to 1MW of rooftop solar, 20 buildings
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Submission: Ofgem electricity network access and charging
Ofgem Consultation: Getting more out of our electricity networks through reforming access and forward-looking charging arrangements Rachel Bray and Catherine Mitchell Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter Summary Running the energy system costs society and the customer a certain total amount every year. That sum of that cost is currently derived in a particular way – transmission costs, distribution costs, including charging costs, wholesale market costs etc – and via a certain methodology and regulatory mechanism and then paid for via customer bills before finally being reimbursed to different parts of the energy system by suppliers
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