POWER AND RENEWABLE ENERGY Energy capability within the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences adelaide.edu.au TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 1 Sustainable Energy Systems Design 24 Preface 2 Collaborations and Successes 25 Context Now 25 Introduction 5 Background 6 Energy Cybersecurity and Platforms 26 Electricity Market 6 Collaborations and Successes 27 Energy Vectors Generation and Utilisation 6 Context Now 27 South Australian Government 6 Appendix 1 – Domain Expertise 28 Non-renewable Resources 7 Electrical Power Engineering 29 ECMS as an Energy Systems Leader 9 Energy Supply 30 Energy Vectors Generation and Utilisation 32 Electrical Power Engineering 12 Energy Storage Solutions 33 Collaborations and Successes 12 Modelling, Optimisation and Machine Learning Context Now 13 for Energy Systems 35 Energy Supply 14 Sustainable Energy Systems Design 36 Collaborations and Successes 14 Energy Cybersecurity and Platforms 38 Context Now 15 Appendix 2 – Australian Non Renewable Energy Resources 40 Energy Vectors Generation and Utilisation 16 Australian School of Petroleum and Energy Resources 41 Collaborations and Successes 17 Appendix 3 – Key Institutes and Centres 42 Context Now 17 The Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources 43 Energy Storage Solutions 18 The Centre for Energy Technology 43 Centre for Materials in Energy and Catalysis 43 Collaborations and Successes 18 The South Australian Centre for Geothermal Context Now 20 Energy Research 43 Modelling, Optimisation and Machine Learning for Energy Systems 22 Appendix 4 – Energy Capability 44 University-Wide Capability 45 Collaborations and Successes 22 Context Now 23 FOREWORD TODAY’S ENERGY MARKET IS EVOLVING AT A RAPID PACE AND FOCUSED RESEARCH IS CRITICALLY NEEDED TO MODERNIZE THE WAYS WE GENERATE, DISTRIBUTE, AND MANAGE TODAY’S ENERGY—BOTH ON THE ELECTRICITY GRID AND AS WELL AS IN GAS PIPELINES. Electrification is a pervasive phenomenon that is driving change — Professor Derek Abbott was with the this occurs in everything from end-user products, advanced power electronics switching and smart control systems on the grid, to General Electric Company (GEC), London, renewable sources of energy with marginal operating costs. These UK, from 1978 to 1986 and has since factors have transformed the grid into a dynamic place. been with University of Adelaide. Whilst this presents engineering challenges, it also creates exciting opportunities for Australia. An energy policy vision for Australia His interests are in multidisciplinary applications is the intentional over-installation of renewables that will not of electrical and electronic engineering, complex only reduce the need for storage but will create excess electricity systems, and energy policy. at marginal operating cost. This oversupply can then open up opportunities for economic generation of alternative energy vectors He is an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia, such as hydrogen for both local industry and mass export. Fellow of the Institute of Physics (IoP), UK, and a This document consolidates the considerable engineering expertise Fellow of the IEEE, USA. He has won a number we have in the energy sector for both meeting such vision and also of awards, including the South Australian Tall assisting with needed transitional solutions as Australia presses Poppy Award for Science (2004), the David towards its energy future. Dewhurst Medal (2015), the Barry Inglis Medal (2018), and the M. A. Sargent Medal (2019) for Professor Derek Abbott, Convener eminence in engineering. Energy capability within the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences 1 PREFACE I am delighted to have this opportunity The University of Adelaide outline South Australia’s role in our nation’s is an important contributor energy future, as it is well-aligned to the University’s expertise. to the scientific process Our State is committed to deliver affordable, reliable, secure and clean electricity supplies of identifying solutions to in a transitioning national energy market. Without a doubt, South Australia is leading deliver forward thinking the clean energy transition—even in a world- technical, economic, social, wide context. Given the challenges we have faced, the world and environmental outcomes is paying close attention to our remarkably fast transition. They are also paying particular for Australia and on the attention to how we are responding to and addressing those challenges. Our technological international stage. advancements, coupled with our abundant wind and sun, provide us with huge opportunities both locally and globally. 2 Power and Renewable Energy Australia is well on the way to achieving storage, demand management, and supply net 100% renewables by the early 2030s. integration initiatives. Our $50 million Grid Our renewable assets will not only provide Scale Storage Fund aims to bring forward us with affordable clean energy—they will investment in new storage technologies capable also provide new opportunities trade and of addressing the intermittency of our State’s economic growth, including in the growing increasing renewable electricity supply. field of renewable hydrogen production. Neoen’s expansion of its Hornsdale Power While there is plenty of upside, some of the Reserve is the first project to be supported changes occurring in South Australia also from this fund with $15 million awarded for present significant challenges to SA and to the delivery of additional services to improve the existing management of the national network security. With the first 100 MW or energy market. 129 MWh of storage capacity, developed by Neoen and Tesla under the previous state The so-called duck curve in our energy government, we will now support the 50% generation is created by the extremely expansion of The Big Battery near Jamestown, high penetration of rooftop solar in South which will be another Australian-first. Australia. This curve represents high levels of solar PV generation leading to low demand I expect this expansion to lead to significant from the grid during the day, followed savings for consumers by allowing South by lower PV generation and a pick-up in Australia to integrate even more renewable consumption during the evening. Keeping energy into our energy system. It will pace with the increasing number of solar also be a world-leading demonstration of panel owners connecting to the grid has also how battery storage can provide inertia, created challenges for network operators— protecting the security of the grid by keeping both at a transmission and distribution frequency consistent. This is inertia that used level—in trying to manage customers’ needs. to be provided by power stations such as Northern and Playford. South Australia is working to address these issues, as well as increasing our connection The 50 MW or 65 MWh expansion will with the rest of the grid so we can both enable a much faster response time to system improve reliability locally and create disturbances such as network faults and export opportunities. trips. Within milliseconds, the Hornsdale Power Reserve can stabilise the grid, avoid In partnership with industry and market price volatility in the market and reduce the bodies, our plan includes: risks of blackouts. This expansion will also • Support for a $1.5 billion interconnector help develop markets for these other services, to NSW; helping to get more batteries into the system • A $50 million Grid Scale Storage Fund; more quickly. The State Government is currently engaged in negotiations with the • The largest planned per capita rollout of other shortlisted applicants for the Grid home batteries in the world through the Scale Storage Fund and I look forward to $200 million Home Battery Scheme and making more announcements about these the Tesla VPP; projects very soon. • New approaches to managing demand; Increasing storage at a household level is • Accelerating gas exploration to improve also being rolled out. South Australian supply; and households have already made a significant • Seizing the huge opportunities created by investment in rooftop solar, with one third of Today, South Australia generates more than the emerging global market for hydrogen. homes now generating their own solar power. half of its electricity from renewable sources, Firstly, to improve reliability and increase The $100 million Home Battery Scheme compared to the turn of the century when our capacity to export requires improved is an Australian-first, designed to optimise wind and solar contributed less than one per connection to the National Electricity these investments by encouraging the uptake cent to our energy mix. Market. Project EnergyConnect—otherwise of household storage technologies. This scheme known as the SA-NSW interconnector—is gives all grid-connected South Australians South Australia now has a remarkable an opportunity to access subsidies of up to portfolio of renewable generation assets the most advanced project in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System $6,000 towards the cost of a home battery and storage assets that are emerging quickly. that can reduce their power bills, together We have 21 large-scale wind farms as well Plan. The South Australian Government has underwritten $14 million of early work with $100 million in low-interest loans. As as two large-scale solar farms in operation of November 2019, more than 4,600 South across the State. by ElectraNet and TransGrid to expedite delivery of Project EnergyConnect as soon Australian homes have