March 6, 2015
Yesterday’s extreme heat set new records in Queensland with demand on the electricity transmission network reaching an all-time high for March.
Demand on Powerlink network last night reached 8809MW, the highest demand on record for March and only 82MW short of the all-time peak for Queensland recorded on January 18, 2010.
Energy Minister Mark Bailey said the timing of the demand peak was also significant as the record was set later in the day, mainly due to the impacts of strong rooftop solar panel uptake across Queensland.
“The all-time record demand on the transmission network of 8891 megawatts was at 3:00pm in 2010,” Mr Bailey said.
“Yesterday’s record was later in the day at 5:00pm, with a second spike in demand at 7:00pm. The change in demand patterns was caused by the impact of increased rooftop solar panel generation.
“The generation capacity of solar has grown from 140MW in January 2010 to 1300MW.
“Queenslanders use solar generation until the late afternoon and then return to the electricity network to run air conditioners and other appliances from the early evening onwards.
“This significantly reduces daytime demand on the network and effectively delays peak demand to late afternoon or early evening. It is predicted that increased solar uptake will continue to push the peak demand later in the evening from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.”
Powerlink Chief Executive Merryn York said Powerlink’s transmission network had reliably met yesterday’s high demand without any issues.
“We plan and operate the network to allow for these hot conditions, particularly around this time of year,” Ms York said.
“While it was a record peak demand for March, the Powerlink transmission network performed well and provided Queenslanders the electricity they needed to try and beat the high temperatures.”
