Date of Notice: 4 April 2017
In 2016 AEMO conducted a formal consultation process on amendments to the Energy Conversion Model Guidelines for Wind and Solar farms.
From early 2017, AEMO is conducting an informal consultation process, including large meetings, one-on-one meetings and email updates. This webpage provides history and updates on this process.
Matter under Consultation
Key topics for consultation, mostly focussed on AWEFS and ASEFS dispatch forecasting:
- Implementation of Local Limit, Wind Speed and Turbines Extreme Cut-Out SCADA changes.
- Potential changes to Turbines Available SCADA signal, or addition of new turbine availability signal for more accurate dispatch forecasting (would require new formal consultation to implement).
- “Estimated Power” SCADA signal – generator’s own dispatch forecast – consultation on what’s possible, what’s needed, and how to implement in AEMO’s systems.
Other topics:
- Improvements to Intermittent Generation EMMS Portal. Handling of low wind speed situations. Emerging technologies for near-term forward forecasting of wind and solar generation.
- Other topics that arise from participants.
Outside the scope:
- Bidding of availability - this is being investigated more widely within AEMO, outside this AWEFS/ASEFS informal consultation.
- Frequency Control Ancillary Services – see Ancillary Services Technical Advisory Group
Implementation Progress Updates
Improvements to AWEFS dispatch forecast tuning algorithms
On 10 March 2017 AEMO implemented changes to the AWEFS power curve tuning process to improve the overall accuracy of the power curves used in the AWEFS dispatch forecasting process.
Implementation of Local Limit and Turbines Extreme Cut-Out SCADA signals
On 29 March 2017 AEMO implemented changes to the AWEFS and ASEFS systems to add the Local Limit and Turbines Extreme Cut-Out SCADA signals as described in the reports in the ECM Guidelines Consultation).
AEMO has been contacted by many wind and solar farms advising of their work on these signals and encourages all wind and solar farm operators to contact AEMO to discuss commissioning these signals. Note that the Local Limit signal is mandatory except by agreement with AEMO, and the Turbines Extreme Cut-Out is optional.
The ECM Guidelines consultation reports discuss the handling for semi-scheduled generators of network and local limits to generator output. Limits local to the generator site will be managed through this SCADA Local Limit signal once commissioned. AEMO continues to work with distribution networks to obtain more information on relevant distribution network limits. If your semi-scheduled generator is under a network limitation that does not appear to be modelled by AEMO you may contact the AEMO NEM control room to advise the operators of the limit and its timeframe and to request a “quick constraint” to model this. This procedure may also be used for local limits until the SCADA Local Limit signal is commissioned.
Wind Speed SCADA signal update
The ECM Guidelines Consultation updated the definition of the farm-wide Wind Speed SCADA signal to recommend it be an average wind speed across all turbine nacelles. Wind farms are requested to advise AEMO of any plans to change the configuration of this signal. The existing Wind Speed SCADA signal can be replaced or updated (a new separate signal is not needed), but AEMO needs to be aware of when it will change so that Overspeed, the AWEFS vendor, can monitor the dispatch forecast operation as AWEFS adjusts to the new signal.
Estimated Power
AEMO sent an email to all Semi-Scheduled Generators on 28/2/17 requesting historical data that represents an “Estimated Power” signal or the closest available.
AEMO thanks the participants who have sent data. AEMO is now working to analyse this data and will report back on our progress.
Invitation to Make Informal Submissions
AEMO would like to receive from your wind or solar farm some historical Estimated Power data, or the closest approximation you have to that at present. This will help us to do an initial quality assessment and to better understand how to design the implementation of Estimated Power in AEMO’s systems. To assist us in interpreting this data and in cross-checking with the SCADA data we already receive we’re asking for other data channels as well. We would appreciate this data by the end of March, or sooner if you can so that we can get started on our analysis.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any clarification on what we need or wish to discuss any detail of it. We understand that wind turbine and solar systems vary in their archiving of data, so if you are not able to meet the requirements below please give your best effort.
Data Request
AEMO would prefer a minimum 12 months’ of data at a 1-minute resolution (marked in EST – market time), aggregated to farm level (or, if available, at cluster level) for the data items listed below. Please send this in a CSV file. If it is too large to email (over 30 MB) then please contact me to find an alternative.
- Estimated Power (as defined in the Wind/Solar ECM i.e. a 5-7 minute ahead estimate – we understand this might not yet be available)
- Possible Power/Potential Power/Active Power Available (any existing variants of a “right now” Estimated Power), preferably including one that excludes the impact of transmission and distribution network limits (i.e. unconstrained).
- Active Power (as sent to AEMO)
- AEMO Control Set-Point (as sent to AEMO)
- Wind Speed / Global Inclined Irradiance (as sent to AEMO)
- Wind Direction (as sent to AEMO) (not relevant for solar)
- Turbines/Inverters Available (as sent to AEMO)
- Turbines Generating (as sent to AEMO) (not relevant for solar)
- Turbines Ready to Run (alternatively, Turbines Not Ready/Not Available/In Cut-Out - whichever you can readily provide) (not relevant for solar)
- Status of Park Controller (whatever statuses directly affect the quality of the Estimated/Possible Power calculation)
- Active Power Limits (by source e.g. AEMO, TNSP, DNSP, Local – if available)
- Comments
For each data item, we also would like (only if available):
- Timestamp when the data last changed (in EST)
- Data Quality Flag (for Estimated/Possible Power, and the data quality flags for the above SCADA as sent to AEMO), and a table explaining the various SCADA Data Quality flags.
We also require a separate table describing each data item:
- short description
- unit of measure (eg kW)
- update frequency (sec)
- averaging period (sec) or instantaneous
If there are periods of time where there are reasons that the Estimated/Possible Power data is not a good representation of the farm’s likely output, or there was something unusual happening at the farm, please note this in the “Comments” column.
Publication
No data submitted to AEMO will be published on AEMO’s website. All data will be treated as confidential.
Meetings
From early 2017, AEMO has hosted a number of sessions relating to this consultation, including large meetings, one-on-one meetings and email updates. A dedicated working group page has been set up to capture the meeting information.
Closing Date and Time
The consultation and meeting sessions will initially run until the end of 2017, at which time AEMO will review the value of continuing the sessions, taking into account its Scope and Objectives.
To register your interest, or for more information, please contact: op.forecasting@aemo.com.au with any enquiries.