With the implementation of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) as well as the rising growth of renewables, Australian utility generators know the importance of committing to renewable energy resources. But the rise in renewable energy has also brought with it an increase in grid stability challenges, leading to reliability issues and outages. Many generators now face the challenge of operating in a highly-intermittent and dynamic market. Having to load follow renewables and still provide stable, dispatchable power is no easy task. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines offer an efficient solution for quickly stabilizing the grid, making them a great choice for utilities that need to provide reliable power to their customers.
The growth in renewables and the scheduled retirement of large baseload coal-fired power stations is creating an opportunity for flexible gas-fired power plants and capacity firming solutions. The rise of solar and wind power has led to a deterioration in reliability and security of supply on the grid, and with the Australian Energy Marketing Operator (AEMO) forecasting an increase in load- shedding over the next few years, the need for a dispatchable solution is clear.
Also known as grid firming, capacity firming is a vital characteristic for any power generation system. While renewable power generation sources are now essentially competitive with traditional power generation alternatives, they can have adverse system impacts if they are not carefully integrated into the grid. Wind and solar are typically non-dispatchable and their nameplate capacity does not always align with demand.