Australia’s rapid transition to more renewable energy sources and the projected early retirement of coal power stations will introduce new technical vulnerabilities into the grid, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) says. The 2021 System Security Report released by the AEMO has outlined that critical power system requirements will need to be addressed in New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia to avoid energy woes over the next five years. This comes following estimates made by the AEMO that all brown coal and over two-thirds of black coal power stations will likely exit by 2032—with coal wholly gone by 2040—while the nation strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Furthermore, traditional coal generation is being replaced increasingly by solar on the roofs of homes and businesses, with the nation recording a staggering 3 million rooftop solar installations to date. “The unprecedented nature and pace of change in the NEM means …