Graph of the Day: Wind energy delivers three quarters of Victoria’s demand for first time

Just a few days after unveiling its ambitious new renewable energy target of 95 per cent renewables by 2035, the state of Vitoria reached a new milestone on Monday morning, when wind energy delivered more than three quarters of state electricity demand for the first time.

The new benchmark of 75.7 per cent of local demand was set at 2.15am, according to GPE NemLog2, although the output hovered around those levels for much of the night.

Over a three day period to the end of Monday, renewables (including solar and rooftop solar, and a little bit of hydro) contributed 49 per cent of state demand.

The new milestone for wind is significantly higher than the previous peak of 69 per cent wind share that was set in late August. At the start of that month, the peak share for wind had stood at 63.7 per cent.

Two years ago, the maximum share of wind was 48 per cent. In early 2018, it stood at just 26 per cent.

The fact that it is growing rapidly comes from the newly completed full commissioning of the 511MW Stockyard Hill and the 305MW Moorabool wind farms.