Guides
Facilities and Generation
Understanding electricity generation facilities and their data structures
Overview
The OpenElectricity platform tracks electricity generation facilities across Australia’s electricity markets. This guide explains how facility data is structured, accessed, and interpreted.
Facility Structure
Each facility in the system is represented by several interconnected data structures:
Core Facility Data
- Unique facility code (
DUID) - Facility name and description
- Network location (
NEM/WEM) - Network region (e.g.,
NSW1,VIC1) - Operational status
- Wikipedia references and external links
Generation Units
Units within facilities are tracked with:
- Unit codes and numbers
- Registered capacity
- Fuel technology type
- Emissions factors
- Registration and deregistration dates
- Expected closure dates
Fuel Technologies
Facilities are categorized by fuel technology types:
Renewable Technologies
- Solar (utility and rooftop)
- Wind
- Hydro
- Battery storage (charging/discharging)
- Bioenergy (biomass, biogas)
Non-Renewable Technologies
- Coal (black and brown)
- Gas (OCGT, CCGT)
- Distillate
- Liquid fuel
Status Tracking
Facilities are tracked through various operational states:
Status Types
- Operating: Currently generating
- Commissioning: Being tested
- Announced: Planned facility
- Mothballed: Temporarily closed
- Retired: Permanently closed
Status Updates
- Status changes are tracked historically
- Includes dates of status changes
- Maintains audit trail of facility lifecycle
Emissions Tracking
Emissions Data
- CO2 emissions factors per facility
- Total emissions calculations
- Emissions intensity tracking
- Source references for emissions factors
Environmental Impact
Track environmental performance through:
- Carbon intensity metrics
- Renewable vs non-renewable generation
- Emissions reduction tracking