Power system stability with Kate Summers

The stability of the electricity network are front and centre of the political debate in Australia.

Watch our seminar on power system control with Engineer Kate Summers from Pacific Hydro. In a fascinating seminar, held in the College on 15th August 2018, she explains why the big gas and coal (synchronous) generators often get it wrong these days to stabilise frequency across the National Electricity Market.

It is not necessarily their fault, as those machines are capable to provide the primary control on frequency stabilisation. But the current market control (and the FCAS market) do not generally use those resources.

In fact, as a sub-optimal power system control now leads to larger frequency alterations than in the old days, the wear and tear of the synchronous generatos will be enhanced - possibly accelerating a transition.

Anyway, you might be surprised that deterioation of the tight frequency control has nothing to do with renewables. Renewables in fact are the most stable ingredients of our power system at the moment on that millisecond and half-hourly timeframe, in which various events can otherwise push the electricity grid into the red zones of either too high or too low frequency.

Lean back and enjoy a fascinating and content-rich talk about power system control by one of the knowledge powerhouses in Australia, Kate Summers. 

And check for our other events on http://climatecollege.unimelb.edu.au/seminars