Do gas generators need to stay operating regardless of whether there's...

While this statement is an oversimplification of the process, it is true that at certain times of day and during certain periods of the year, not all the solar power being generated can be used by the grid. The Alice Springs electricity system is heavily reliant upon gas generation – not only for power, but also to provide essential system services (ESS) such as voltage control, frequency, and inertia. These services can be provided by technical solutions like batteries, but at this stage this is a prohibitively expensive means of addressing the problem in its entirety. The aim of the Alice Springs Future Grid’s Roadmap to 2030 is to provide information on how more renewables can be tied into the use of gas generators at the main power stations.