Finding my community's energy data

Heather Smith • 2 December 2020
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I'm doing a PhD on microgrids so I have spent some time digging to understand the information that is publicly available to communities when they embark on an energy adventure.

There are two main sources I have been using recently.

Network Maps

UTS worked with electricity network companies to develop Network Opportunities maps. It's not always clear where to find the information you need, but following the instructions on this page is a good start:  https://www.energynetworks.com.au/projects/network-opportunity-maps/accessing-the-network-opportunity-maps/

The quality of data and updates varies across different jurisdictions but it is a good place to start. It is also worth checking your local electricity network company. Ausnet services provide much better data in a portal driven from their DAPR page: https://dapr.ausnetservices.com.au/

DAPR, by the way, stands for Distribution Annual Planning Report and this is often where you will find information about issues in your area that are driving the need for local electricity infrastructure investments.

A third source is Government GIS-based mapping systems. In Queensland, for example, this seems to provide the richest source of maps documenting the 11kV system.

Zone Substation data

Once you know what the name of your local zone substation is, you can look at the data. I am working on a system to make this more accessible but here is what you need to know at the moment:

  • The CSIRO has created a repository of useful Australian energy data and (most) of the electricity industry’s data has been standardised and published. https://near.csiro.au/search?query=zone%20substation

  • A Zone substation might feed 3-10,000 households. A typical rural community of 1,000 households and without much industry might have a 1-2MW load and each Zone substation is around ten times larger than that.

  • As a result, Zone substations serve large regions of the countryside with a vast network of 11kV - 33kV lines and numerous high voltage to 240V transformers - each of the latter serving up to 100 households or 1 or more businesses.

Here is a sample of the load profile at the Brendale Zone substation north-west of Brisbane.

I needed to go back to 2017 to get a full year of data so you can see that up to date information might require a look at the electricity network company site, rather than CSIRO. You can see the morning and evening peaks but notice that the extreme peaks are just a few days in summer with the evening peak making the most difference. You can also see the dip from solar energy in the middle of the day and, perhaps surprisingly, August and September seem to dominate here. In South Australia, October is our mildest month where the solar output is strong but the weather is mild enough for very low loads in the middle of the day.

load profiles for Brendale
Plot by Heather Smith