Photo voltaic and wind parks in NSW and Victoria are going through additional manufacturing cuts

The Australian energy market operator has announced new generation restrictions that will affect solar and wind projects in New South Wales and Victoria Solar after NSW-based transmission company Transgrid warned of a possible voltage drop in another part of the grid it operates. AEMO said the new restrictions – which will affect the West Murray network region, including Southwest NSW and Northwest Victoria – followed new modeling that had identified the risk of a "voltage breakdown" on one of the other major transmission lines in the Travel Region .

According to Transgrid modeling, the loss of a transmission line in northwest Victoria at a time of high wind and solar power generation in southwest New South Wales and northwest Victoria would result in very high electricity flows through 220 kV transmission lines from Buronga via Balranald after Darlington Point and in turn lead to severe undervoltage conditions and a voltage collapse at Balranald.

Renewable energy projects in the region have already suffered badly from network problems, including five solar parks in Victoria and NSW whose output was halved for more than seven months from September to mid-April to avoid “voltage fluctuations”.

The NSW government has identified southwest NSW as the location of one of their three planned renewable energy zones. This region is home to some of the best solar resources in the state and some good wind resources.