Agenda

Renewable energy resources and conversion technologies for electricity generation

• Renewable energy resources in the global & Australian contexts – what are the key resources and where are they located?
• Renewable energy electricity generation technologies – what are their characteristics and development trajectories and how do they compare to non-renewable generation technologies?
• Complementary resources that can facilitate renewable energy integration: energy storage, flexible demand and flexible conventional generation
• Comparison of power electronic interfaced generators with turbo-alternators with respect to inertia, fault-level and shortterm dynamic behaviour and implications for power system operation
• Where do wind & solar PV fit into the broader renewable energy picture?

Renewable energy integration as a process of technological and societal innovation and acculturation

• What do we mean by socio-technological innovation and societal acculturation?
• How can we apply these ideas to renewable energy integration?
• How do integration challenges vary with renewable energy type, electricity industry scale and national context? Where do wind & solar PV fit?
• Electricity industry observability, predictability & controllability: data acquisition, communication, analysis and control
• Can “smart grid” and “microgrid” concepts help in renewable energy integration?

Temporal aspects of wind & solar PV integration

• Temporal characteristics of wind & solar PV resources and implications for their integration into the electricity industry
• Implications of the absence of inertia and other characteristics of power electronic interfaced devices: generators, energy storage and end-use devices
• The role of forecasting in predicting future wind & solar PV production: to what extent are they predictable?
• Complementary resources and their role in facilitating wind & solar integration: flexible conventional generation, demand-side flexibility & reversible energy storage
• Role for system operators, energy markets and ancillary services in managing temporal aspects of wind & solar integration

Locational aspects of wind & solar PV integration:

• The effects of network losses and network flow constraints
• Implications of embedded generators & low fault currents for power system protection & voltage control
• Connection requirements for wind & solar PV, including technical and safety standards
• The role of network control ancillary services in managing network impacts
• The role of governments and regulators in resolving networkrelated issues

Planning procedures and safety issues for renewable energy projects

• Planning approval processes for renewable energy projects and “best practice” guidelines
• Safety issues associated with renewable energy projects – mechanical failure, fire and electrocution, batteries

Case study: Wind & solar PV integration in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM)

• Renewable energy generator status in the NEM wholesale market – scheduled, semi-scheduled or non-scheduled; market or non-market
• Rooftop solar PV and other small renewable generators in the retail market
• The role of energy and frequency control ancillary service (FCAS) spot and derivative markets in managing temporal variability and uncertainty in the NEM
• Planning processes in the NEM
• Cash flows associated with the National Electricity Market–spot energy and FCAS markets and associated derivative markets, network services cash flows & retail markets
• The Australian Wind & Solar Energy Forecasting Systems
• Experience to date with microgrids
• Recent policy developments including the Finkel Report outcomes, government initiatives and current work by AEMO, AEMC and AER.