Solar, wind meet record 80% of Australia's grid power demand
Rooftop solar alone supplied more than half of electricity used, as clear skies and low demand drove a record renewable energy surge.
Solar and wind power met a record 80.4% of electricity demand on Australia's main power grid on Saturday (19 September), marking the highest share of renewable generation recorded on the National Electricity Market.
Rooftop solar alone supplied more than half of the electricity used across the grid for 30 minutes around lunchtime. Solar and wind farms, along with hydroelectricity, supplied most of the remaining renewable power, while coal and gas accounted for about 20% of generation, reports The Guardian.
The National Electricity Market supplies Australia's eastern states, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
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Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the milestone meant there was "more clean, cheap, sovereign energy powering our homes and businesses than ever before".
"There's a long way to go, but expect more and more of these milestones in the future as Labor gets on with the job of the energy transition, and delivering real cost of living relief," he posted on social media.
Dr Dylan McConnell, an energy systems researcher at the University of New South Wales, described the period as "record season" for renewable energy.
He said clear, sunny weather provided favourable conditions for solar generation while low demand for heating and cooling helped push the renewable share to a record level.
"These records are probably not going to last very long, they're probably going to be broken in the next couple of weeks," he said.
Renewable generation exceeded demand at times, with some surplus electricity stored in pumped-hydro facilities and batteries. A significant amount was also curtailed because of system security rules, network constraints and low electricity prices.
Coal generation in Queensland also reached a record low over the weekend, McConnell said.
While the record renewable share demonstrated Australia's progress towards a higher-renewable energy system, McConnell said the figure alone was not the most important measure of emissions reduction.
"From an emissions perspective, what matters is the annual contributions and how much coal we are burning," he said.
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, renewable energy accounted for an average 44% of electricity generation in the year to June.
More than 4.3 million Australian households now have rooftop solar systems.
The weekend record came shortly after new analysis raised concerns about insufficient investment in new generation capacity needed to meet Australia's target of 82% renewable energy by 2030.
