Electricity prices are spiking, ten times as much as normal
theconversation.com
theconversation.com
> By 2021, more than two-thirds of SA’s electricity came from variable renewable generation, more than in any developed economy we know of.
> This has had a big impact on prices. From having long had the highest wholesale prices in the National Electricity Market, by 2021 SA had almost the lowest.
Background: SA, aka the state of South Australia, has no coal deposits unlike the rest of the country. Australia is a big place, so getting transmission lines to there is expensive.
“Each state government now accepts this and is rapidly moving to decarbonise its supply, which is leading to a new problem. The states that get there quickly are less keen on sharing their cheaper power than they used to be.
Why would SA want to strengthen its interconnection to NSW, only to have its electricity prices dragged up to those of NSW by trade along that wire?”
I have read that Norway is experiencing this, that with all the interconnects it has with other countries the price of their power has gone up, five times as well.
Although Norway is having lower rainfall and I’d imagine trying to reduce hydropower generation. Maybe they need to start doing a raindance?