There is a problem with a dependency on 40% wind power in a...

There is a problem with a dependency on 40% wind power in a weather event, whether the lines are intact or not. The wind turbines are designed with a safety feature (mostly to protect the investment than anything I reckon) that once the wind speed exceeds the preset rating the turbines turn into the wind, engage safety brakes and fully open the blades. This in turn prevents any energy to be produced, so even if the lines were not damaged, SA would have already been down to 60% power capacity as all turbine production had gone into safety mode.
The safe shutdown is not the significant problem, the lack of buffering in these shut downs is, which obviously can be overcome with power storage options such as AVL propose. Don't get me started in the insufficient production to provide "excess to demand" in periods of need such as those experienced in the last few days.
Power supply is going to become a huge issue going towards the election and we have not heard the last of this most recent event by any means. The statewide commercial losses caused by this event are significant but I feel most for those who have suffered personal loss due to the incompetent management of power supply in SA such as the thousands of families who have lost embryos and genetic material from medical storage facilities due to the power outage. I would not be surprised if a major civil suit arises out of this alone.

All the best SA

DYOR, Cheers
R