Extreme weather and the grid: fact sheet

The peak body for generators and retailers, the Australian Energy Council (AEC), together with the peak body for transmission and distribution network operators, Energy Networks Australia (ENA), has released ‘Extreme weather and electricity supply’: a detailed fact sheet explaining how the energy sector prepares for summer’s extreme weather.

Among other factors, the fact sheet documents how an increased spread of and reliance on air conditioning has caused a rise in peak electricity demand over the past two decades — though this has been tempered in recent years by the increase in household solar and a reduction in demand from industrial facilities.

Over the past 12 months, major and extreme weather events have impacted many Australians and, at times, the power system. As the weather heats up, electricity demand is often at its peak and the electricity grid is put under strain.

Australia has also felt the impact of an extended La Niña, resulting particularly in flooding events, while strong winds had an impact on the power grid in South Australia last year. More recently, cyclone activity has affected Western Australia.

ENA CEO Andrew Dillon said powerful storms, cyclones and flash flooding could cause disruptions to transmission and distribution networks.

“Networks, operators, regulators, governments, retailers and emergency services know when heatwaves are coming and plan accordingly. As the effects of climate change are felt across the country, extreme weather events are becoming increasingly regular and intense,” he said.

“We understand how inconvenient outages are and networks work throughout the year to ensure the grid is prepared for the extreme weather events we can experience in Australia. Power disruptions can result in life-threatening situations for some vulnerable customers and networks work at pace to ensure the power is restored to these customers as soon as possible.”

The AEC’s Chief Executive, Sarah McNamara, said while generators work throughout the year to ensure that demand is met during peak times, high temperatures could affect key infrastructure.

“Ongoing maintenance takes place throughout the year to keep the grid and generators in good working order before summer,” McNamara said.

“We also saw last year how an extended cold snap can push up demand unexpectedly. Both planned and unplanned outages at plants saw tight supply conditions, with generators working closely with the market operator to maintain supply throughout that period.”

The fact sheet is available here.

Image credit: iStock.com/Chad Ajamian