Top solar weekend in SA
South Australia was able to meet almost 94 per cent of its Sunday energy needs with solar power.
Solar power’s share of South Australia’s electricity grid reached a new record high on Sunday, supplying a peak of 93.7 per cent of state demand, and more than 70 per cent of total production.
Rooftop solar also saw the state hit a new minimum low for scheduled demand (demand from large generators on the grid) to just 315MW, according to analysts.
The state’s large scale and rooftop generators were producing just over 1,700MW on Sunday, around a quarter of which was exported to Victoria.
The surplus of supply over demand saw South Australian prices turn negative, with just 293MW of gas generation being used, and wind output squeezed out by rooftop solar.
The SA Government has announced a new ‘Electric Vehicle Action Plan’, which will investigate the use of electric vehicles as mobile batteries, acting as a “solar sponge” to mop up excess solar production.
The plan would see EV batteries used to provide power to homes, or services to the grid.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) recently announced funding for trials across the National Electricity Market (NEM).