By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast
The heatwave in Queensland over the last few days has seen a heavy peak demand for electricity causing electricity prices to rise to an unbelievable $12.50 per kilowatt hour – and the heat is not over yet!
With the dire heat that Queenslanders have endured the last few days, it is no surprise that many have taken to using the air conditioner – at least in the mid day heat. This has caused a spike in electricity demand at peak times. According to the Courier Mail, Queensland no longer produces enough baseload electricity to power the state on a ‘warm summer’s day.’ This means, on days (or weekends) such as those just passed, Queensland is unable to produce enough electricity to meet the demand and therefore requires more electricity to be generated at premium prices. This extra electricity is supplied by turning on expensive smaller generators, usually gas or aviator fuel-fed generators, to make up the difference. As a result of using such generators last week, the market price of electricity went up to a staggering $12 000 per megawatt hour. Victoria’s power price hit $12 500 per megawatt hour in their recent heatwave – the maximum power generator companies are allowed to charge. With the government recently closing down a number of generators (and costing many their jobs) in a bid to ‘save us money,’ Queensland can no longer produce the baseload needed. Last week we produced 7600 megawatts while we needed 8000 megawatts.
“Every time we go over 33C, demand will exceed (baseload) capacity,” Said Electrical Trades Union organizer, Trevor Gauld.
Acting Premier Jeff Seeney said: “there was a price spike at one point, a point of very high demand for a very short time just as the market is designed to operate.”
“I have absolutely no concerns about how the market is operating.” He described the day’s generation and cost as “nothing unusual.”
While all this was happening, solar power users had a big smile on from ear to ear. They are not a party to all the above because at those peak demand times, they were generating and using their own power at no inflated cost. In fact, solar power users may have reduced the demand slightly by exporting excess power to the grid. They slashed their power bills and helped take some of the strain off the grid at those peak times.
Knowing all the above, the question remains – why is the government not doing more to help Queensland increase the number of solar power installations? Why start up expensive generators or re-open power plants that will increase emissions and fossil fuels when solar power would be a cleaner, green solution?