Concepcion said..
Ohhh dear, I know I shouldn't be baited by this, but given that I work in energy policy, a few facts for you all. Please note from the Commonwealth regulator (I.e the experts here):

"Bare bones are when a large load drops off the grid there is more generation than supply. That can cause huge problems (think catastrophic explosion of power generator) so it trips a series of safety measures. Several large transmission pylons were flattened in the north west, dumping a significant load off the network. A couple of generators in SA then tripped because of the abrupt load loss, and the interconnector was also tripped to ensure other base load generators stayed up (Once one of those babies goes down it takes 3 or 4 days to bring each one back on line, not 3 or 4 hours).So, the grid island the section of network with the problem until they can safely work around the downed section of network (imagine a Complex maze of thousands of kilometres of wire and you have to find the right path) and I think they probably brought the peak generators (gas fired) on line and start to resynchronise the tripped base load.It is then a process of gradually restoring load, this started a mere 3 hours after the event. It was a fantastic job really and the network operator, transmission provider and peak load plants ought to be congratulated.Power generation gets complex when you start having to factor in the way load and supply are entwined and frequency synchronisation. It's not just a matter of turning on a generator and Ta-da the lights return.So in all, it had zero to do with generation in SA, and everything to do with a freak storm that no one can control and no amount of locally produced base load would have avoided."

Please a few facts before conviction bias - SA both imports and exports energy, the Port Augusta power station was old and inefficient and privately owned - it closed this year because it could not compete against cheaper available sources. SA with both wind, diesel, gas (x4) and solar generation and 2 interconnectors to the national grid has little generation issues ... but we may have transmission ones.

PS...I have no interest in renewables, but as a Sailor I LOVE WIND

Bristolfashion said..
Always interested in other opinions, but not sure I agree with your criticism. My suggestion of a non biased review is the opposite of a political point. This review should look at the facts and make recommendations irrespective of which political party or interest groups are supported.

My comment on distributed energy supply was based on a very interesting talk i went to by the Chief Engineer of a UK town where they introduced local generation by a mix of conventional and renewable technologies plus a grid connection. During a widespread power outage in the region they were able to keep local power going. Again, not a political point but a suggestion as to a way to improve energy security. This approach does spread out the employment in the sector a bit and allows earlier grid shut down in extreme weather events.

Bristolfashion said..
Good to see the review announced today. The results should be interesting. Some of the other comments have reminded me that providing a reliable, affordable and climate friendly power system is REALLY complicated. Thanks guys.

P.s I'm trying to get my stern light to work consistently and that's bad enough.