Webinar: Australia’s Landmark Renewable Integration Study (sponsored by EPRI/ESIG/AEMO/NREL)

VIEW WEBINAR RECORDING

Featured Speakers: 

• • Audrey Zibelman, AEMO, Managing Director and CEO
  • Chris Davies, AEMO, Manager, Future Energy Systems
  • Barry O’Connell, AEMO, Principal Engineer, Future Energy Systems

Audrey Zibelman

Moderator: Charlie Smith, Executive Director, ESIG

Webinar Abstract: Power systems all over the world are changing, presenting new engineering challenges that must be addressed. Parts of Australia are already experiencing some of the highest levels of wind and solar in the world, in a network that stretches over 40,000km of transmission lines. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), is taking steps to maintain system security in a power system with a high share of renewable resources.

AEMO recently released the Renewable Integration Study (RIS), which evaluates the technical challenges associated with reliance on high levels of renewable energy resources and the actions that must be taken. The study focuses on the time period up to 2025 when AEMO forecasts that at times, as much as 75 percent of energy could be provided by wind and solar resources.

In total, Australia’s National Electricity Market has 17 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar generation capacity, including one of the highest levels of residential solar photovoltaics (PV). By 2025, AEMO’s Draft 2020 ISP forecasts in its ‘central’ scenario that this can increase to 27 GW of wind and solar, including both utility and distributed solar PV. Planned topics for discussion during the webinar include:

Chris Davies

• • What the RIS is and how it originated.
  • The areas of study in the report, including managing distributed PV, variability and frequency.
  • Key findings and actions.
  • What the findings mean for managing the transition of the power system.

Q&A Session: There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the event using the Slido platform. Go to slido.com on your device and enter #RISESIG to ask questions to the panelists.

Registration: This webinar is FREE to attend. Please register before the event to help ensure a smooth log-in process.

Barry O’Connell

Please note: This meeting will be recorded for the benefit of people who are unable to attend and will be accessible on both the ESIG and AEMO websites.

About the Speakers: 

Audrey Zibelman oversees all of AEMO’s strategic, operations and administrative functions and responsibilities. She has more than 30 years’ international experience in the public, private, and not-for profit energy sectors. Prior to joining AEMO in March 2017, her roles included Chair of the New York State Public Service Commission, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of system operator PJM, executive roles with Xcel Energy, one of the United States largest integrated gas and electricity utilities and served on a number of energy industry advisory groups and Boards. In addition to her role as CEO of AEMO, Audrey also serves on the CSIRO Energy Advisory Committee, the Melbourne Energy Institute’s Advisory Board and the Board of the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Chris Davies is responsible for AEMO’s Future Energy Systems team, whose core function is to identify and communicate emerging power system limits as the generation mix changes. The remit of the team includes addressing how these limits can be alleviated, including reviewing technical requirements, standards and the technical specification of system services.

The Future Energy Systems team’s major focus is currently the delivery of AEMO’s Renewable Integration Study (RIS) – the first stage of a multi-year plan to support a secure and reliable NEM with a high share of renewables. The study is focussed on quantifying the technical renewable penetration limits of the power system for a projected generation mix and network configuration in 2025.

Chris has been with AEMO for 4 years. During this time, Chris has had a lead role in addressing a number of emerging power system and regulatory challenges including: establishment of AEMO’s Future Power System Security program, establishing the revised Rules framework for protected events and emergency frequency control schemes, driving changes to generator performance standards in South Australia and the NEM, development of AEMO’s Power System Requirements paper, and the specification of new technical standards for distributed energy resources.

Prior to joining AEMO, Chris worked in engineering consulting, supporting electricity and gas projects across Australia, The Philippines, Chile, and the Pacific. His experience covered feasibility and design of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, distributed and utility-scale solar PV, solar thermal and wind energy projects, and gas generation and transmission infrastructure.

Chris holds a degree in Photovoltaics and Solar Energy Engineering from the University of New South Wales.

Barry O’Connell is leading AEMO’s Renewable Integration Study (RIS) – a multi-year plan to support a secure and reliable NEM with a high penetration of renewables. The study is focussed on quantifying the renewable penetration limits of the power system for a projected generation mix and network configuration in 2025 and recommending actions to break down the barriers to higher penetrations.

Barry has been working for AEMO for one year. Prior to joining AEMO, Barry worked with Power System Consultants (PSC), supporting utilities and developers connecting new wind and solar projects across Australia. Prior to this, Barry worked for EirGrid the system operator for Ireland and Northern Ireland, supporting the transition to very high penetrations of wind generation. Here he worked in a number of roles across operations, planning, market design and innovation on the DS3 programme.

Barry holds a degree in Engineering from the National University of Ireland Galway, a Masters of Engineering Science from the University College Cork and is chartered through Engineers Ireland.

Who is AEMO?

The Australian Energy Market Operator – or AEMO – is the independent system and market operator for the National Electricity Market (NEM) and the Western Australian Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM).

AEMO also operates retail and wholesale gas markets across south-eastern Australia and Victoria’s gas pipeline grid.

AEMO is owned 40% by market participants and 60% by the governments of Australia.

In the last financial year, AEMO traded 213 terawatt hours of electricity, which is valued at more than $20 billion Australian dollars.