Australia’s main grid hits new renewable energy record – on another weekday

Australia’s main grid reached a new record for renewable energy production on Friday – for the second working day of the week – with a peak of 71.3 per cent, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator.

The record was reached in the 30-minute trading period ending at midday (grid time, which is AEST), and beat the previous record set on Monday earlier this week by 0.5 per cent.

That earlier record was noted by RenewEconomy earlier this week, although the figures cited then – 71.55 per cent – were based on a five minute trading interval. AEMO chooses to use 30 minute intervals.

Renewable share of generation records are usually set on weekends or public holidays, when demand is low, so the fact that the record was set on two working week days in the same week is unusual.

AEMO said that on Friday, rooftop solar supplied 44.23 per cent of all generation at the time of the new peak, with utility scale solar contributed 18.19 per cent and wind 6.22 per cent.

Black coal provided just 20.03 per cent of total generation, brown coal 7.68 per cent and just 0.99 per cent.