Report: A Cloud Drifting Over a Photo voltaic Farm Knocked Out Energy for 10hrs

Unterne Photo voltaic Plant, supply archived Alice Photo voltaic Metropolis Web site

Visitor essay by Eric Worrall

h/t Dr. Willie Quickly; an impartial report blamed operator incompetence for permitting clouds to have an effect on the photo voltaic vitality provide.

NT sacks vitality chiefs after report into Alice Springs system black

Giles Parkinson 9 December 2019

The Northern Territory Labor authorities has sacked the territory’s two most senior vitality chiefs following a damming report from the market regulator right into a “system black” occasion that hit the town of Alice Springs in October.

Tim Duignan, the CEO of Territory Technology, and Michael Thompson, the top of community operator and methods management firm Energy and Water Company have been each sacked after the federal government acquired a report from the Utilities Fee into the outage, which affected 12,000 clients for between 30 minutes and 10 hours.

It appears clear that this isn’t an issue about expertise – regardless of some making an attempt to sheet the blame on the quantity of rooftop photo voltaic within the native grid and the impression of passing clouds – however of company and vitality tradition. And of incompetence.

An investigating report by consultants Entura – requested by the Utilities Fee – discovered that workers managing the system didn’t anticipate the approaching cloud cowl, and didn’t know what to do once they realised what was taking place and output from the Uterne photo voltaic farm and rooftop photo voltaic panels declined.

Thermal mills failed as a result of they’d not been correctly maintained, and the workers had no thought find out how to re-start the equipment, as a result of procedures had not been up to date because the set up of an enormous battery. To cap issues off, there was inadequate spinning reserve and the system was unstable.

This complete debacle might have been averted if the businesses and the federal government had proven actual management by listening to employees and performing on their considerations raised concerning the situation of Ron Goodin PS and the capabilities of Owen Springs to ship dependable energy to the Alice Springs group,” he ETU mentioned in an announcement.

Learn extra: https://reneweconomy.com.au/nt-sacks-energy-chiefs-after-report-into-alice-springs-system-black-10094/

The official report is obtainable right here.

The next is a video commentary on the story;

A cloud drifting above Australia’s largest $50 million solar energy station (NT) causes 10 hour blackout. All again up methods fail together with $eight million battery. These methods are non-workable cronyist scams stealing from taxpayers by way of subsidies & pretend carbon credit #nzpol #auspol pic.twitter.com/kRT88UrPh8

— The Redbaiter (@Redbaiternz) December 9, 2019

Even when we settle for the official clarification of what went mistaken, one factor is evident about our renewable future; extra transferring components, extra possibilities for some fool to mess issues up.

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