The Paris climate conference may have come up with a feel good statement about reducing emissions, but as the problems of the South Australian electricity market in integrating the state's large supply of wind power show, there is a practical limit to the use of renewables in Australia.

As reported in The Australian Financial Review on Monday the state's wind generators produced 30 per cent of its energy needs in 2014-15, with wind and solar combined producing 38 per cent. But that high level of supply from intermittent power has played such havoc with the supply that South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis has called a crisis meeting of energy users and suppliers.