According to Rystad Energy, three Australian states saw new records for wind and solar power production during January, with utility-scale renewables producing a record-setting 3,628GWh of electricity across the country.
Related article: AEMO calls for more funding as management costs soar
In New South Wales, wind and solar generated 995GWh of energy. Western Australia’s Badgingarra Wind Farm, saw an impressive generation rate of 64 per cent—a figure that put it and a number of other wind farms on par with most of the country’s coal-fired power stations.
Australia’s renewable energy projects continue to set impressive records, delivering lower energy prices for consumers while the market share of coal and gas generators has slumped. Gas generation in particular has fallen to its lowest market share in more than 15 years.
New analysis from the Climate Council shows that renewable energy sources supplied five times as much electricity into the grid compared to the amount supplied by gas generators.
In the National Electricity Market (NEM) last year, renewables supplied 31.4 per cent of electricity generation while gas generators supplied just 5.7 per cent. Coal’s market share fell to just 62.8 per cent of the National Electricity Market—the lowest level since the NEM was formed in 1998.
Related article: Enova tops Greenpeace’s Green Electricity Guide
In 2021, the share of renewables was highest in Tasmania (99.9 per cent) and South Australia (65.7 per cent), while Queensland (18.5 per cent) and New South Wales (24.6 per cent) had the lowest renewables uptake.
