Frequency control

Run­ning a pow­er sys­tem is a com­pli­cat­ed busi­ness. In sim­ple terms, gen­er­a­tion needs to match load at all times; but the sys­tem also needs to man­age oth­er fac­tors to main­tain its sta­bil­i­ty. These ​‘oth­er fac­tors’ are col­lec­tive­ly known as ​‘ancil­lary ser­vices’. This fact sheet focus­es on the ancil­lary ser­vice known as fre­quen­cy control. 

Quick facts

• Ancil­lary ser­vices can refer to net­work sup­port, sys­tem restart and fre­quen­cy con­trol ancil­lary ser­vices (FCAS).
• The bat­tery ener­gy stor­age sys­tem (BESS) in Alice Springs is being opti­mised to pro­vide var­i­ous ancil­lary services.
• Elec­tric vehi­cles have the poten­tial to pro­vide ancil­lary services.
  

Overview

This fact sheet points to a range of resources to help deep­en knowl­edge in this com­plex area. 

• AEMO has its own fact sheet about fre­quen­cy control.
• Fur­ther infor­ma­tion about FCAS can be found HERE.