Direct plug-in for solar could jump energy grid hurdle
Wind and solar developers want to be able to connect projects directly to parts of the electricity grid to sidestep the roadblock of new transmission and ease the strain on a system creaking during the energy transition.
As new transmission projects such as HumeLink in NSW and Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) remain bogged down by community objections and delays, developers are looking at options that can expand clean energy without new transmission and head off decisions about whether to extend the life of coal-fired power plants.
Australia could do more to capitalise on rooftop solar, experts say.
“There is significant opportunity for projects to come forward, both in terms of unconstrained transmission network as well as within distribution networks that avoid some of the bottlenecks we are seeing with REZ development,” said Simon Corbell, chief executive of the Clean Energy Investor Group, which represents investors in renewables including Macquarie and BlackRock.
“REZs will be the medium and longer-term solution to our challenges in this area. But delivery of REZs is contingent on new transmission infrastructure, and we know how complex that has become.”
Mr Corbell pointed to the potential for “technical interventions” in the existing grid to allow existing wind and solar farms to produce closer to full capacity.
The Australian Energy Market Operator on Thursday warned of heightened risks of rolling blackouts in the eastern states over the next few summers as replacement cleaner supply lags what is needed to replace coal plants such as Origin Energy’s 2880-megawatt Eraring generator, due to close in August 2025.
In NSW alone, up to 10 gigawatts of untapped capacity is sitting within the existing grid that could be
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