seán mc goldrick - western power
TRANSCRIPT
Seán Mc Goldrick
Emerging Technology
Today’s presentation (Agenda)
Our role in the electricity value chain
Building our business for the future
Emerging Technology – Threat or opportunity?
Electricity network innovation
State Government-owned corporation that builds, maintains and operates electricity network throughout majority of south Western Australia
Governed by an independent Board and reports to Minister for Energy, as owner’s representative
Serving more than one million customers across a network area of 254,920 km2
Customer-orientated organisation that provides a safe, reliable and affordable electricity supply to Western Australians
Provides an essential service through transmission and distribution of electricity across our vast infrastructure of poles, wires, substations and depots
Who we are
Generators
make
electricity
at power
plants.
The network grid is made up
of transmission and
distribution assets.
The network enables
electricity to flow from
generators to consumers.
Retailers issue
accounts to
collect revenue
for the whole
supply chain.
What we do
Building our business for the community
Reviewing performance
Our role in your community: deliver an essential service, power your modern lifestyle, safely, reliably, affordably
Strategy 2012 – 2015: strong results in efficiency, safety, operations, savings
Performance review implementation 2016 – 2018: planned outcomes include savings, efficiencies, lower network costs, reduced borrowings, contained debt
State to national regulation: on the journey to be future fit, nationally benchmarked, customer orientated
Our future business: an entrenched customer business, we do more with less; we utilise the technologies that our customers want and we keep costs down
From asset to customer orientation…
Reducing the cost of electricity
WP has identified $400 million per year in new savings
For the first time in WA’s history - network tariffs will fall
WP to deliver $1.4 billion savings over current 5 year regulatory period
Brings WP in line with best performing utilities in Australia without sacrificing reliability or safety
Threat or opportunity?
Emerging Technology
Source AFR 19/2/16
How do network businesses respond?
Evacuate:
a purely disconnected future…
Incorporate:
force the future to fit the network…
Facilitate:
become the enabler of a faster rate of change...
Possible future scenarios for Australia’s electricity network
Source: ENA Hello Grid
Economics of emerging technologies in WA
Non network solutions make economic sense in edge of grid areas
Large areas of the network cost more to replace/maintain than the revenue collected by Synergy through the retail tariff
Current SWIS model• Central mesh
network • Long transmission
links and branch network radiating from core area
• Fully integrated, sharing generation capacity
Future model with small number of islanded systems
• Bulk of network unchanged
• SPS and islanded micro-grids created at periphery
• Outlying branches disconnected to avoid capital expenditure
Extreme model without centralised network
• Multiple micro-grids / smaller connected systems
Stand alone power systems
(SPS)
Micro-
gridMesh
network
Branch network
Future model with variable network types
• Some SPS and micro-grids in periphery of network
• Thin pipe connections to areas with local generation and storage
Integrated Network Fringe Disconnection Modular Network Fully Decentralised
Possible evolution of WA’s network
The Western Power of the future…
Modular Network Future model with variable network types:
Strongly meshed urban distribution networks;
Some SPS and micro-grids in periphery of network;
Thin pipe connections to areas with local generation and storage;
Micro-grids developing with infill projects; and
Continued relevance of transmission networks in some areas.
Stand alone power systems (SPS)
Micro-grid
Mesh network
Branch network
Our emerging technology program
We are undertaking a broad ranging program of work to understand …
– Which technologies?
– How and when will they emerge?
– What are the potential impacts?
– How do we engage and respond?
Standalone Power Systems
Advanced metering
Battery Storage
Transmission scaled storage
What’s next…
…and Microgrids
Australia’s largest microgrid to be located in Kalbarri
$300k seed funding for a Micro Grid in Kalbarri. Energy solutions firm Enerji undertaking a feasibility study with Western Power
This model provides excess renewable generation to island Kalbarri in fault conditions and push power back to Geraldton under normal conditions
A win win for Kalbarri and the network, with the grid being utilised more sustainably
Kalbarri’s Microgrid
Electricity Networks Corporation trading as Western Power
ABN 18 540 492 861
24/7 Emergency Line 13 13 51
General Enquires 13 10 87
TTY 1800 13 13 51
TIS 13 14 50
Email [email protected]
Website westernpower.com.au