Open grid model of Australia’s National Electricity Market allowing backtesting against historic data

Rising electricity prices, concerns regarding system security, and emissions reduction are central to an energy policy debate under way in Australia. To better evaluate mechanisms that seek to address the nexus of engineering, economic, and environmental challenges facing the country’s electricity system, we have constructed network and generator datasets describing the operation of Australia’s largest transmission network. These data have been collated using open-source software, and are available under an open license. They include the geospatial locations of network elements, and have been designed to interface with a public database maintained by the Australian Energy Market Operator. This interface allows historic data, such as generator dispatch and regional load signals, to be integrated with market models. Interactive network maps, independent datasets, and power-flow models have been used to assess the completeness and functionality of the derived datasets. In the context of Australia, these data can be used to examine geospatial and temporal impacts of power injections from renewables. More generally, they allow market models to be benchmarked against realised outcomes.