Share of renewables hits record high on Australia’s main grid, sends coal to new low

Australia’s main grid has set a new renewables record, with the maximum instantaneous share of mostly solar and wind on the National Electricity Market hitting an all-time high of 73 per cent on Monday, and pushing the share of coal to a new low.

The “modest yet significant” new record was marked by Geoff Eldridge at GPE NEMLog and on LinkedIn on Monday, as a sign that the annual shift towards a milestone could break through the 75 per cent barrier as early as in the next few months.

Eldridge says the new all-time maximum instantaneous National Electricity Market (NEM) renewable energy (RE) share of 73% was recorded at 11:50am on Mon Sep 09, up from 72.9% at 12:45pm on Sunday Nov 12, 2023.

The huge share of renewables helped deliver another notable number, with the annual minimum instantaneous NEM coal share dropping to a new low of 26.5%, down from 26.6% in October 2023.

Furthermore, a new all-time minimum instantaneous NEM coal and gas share of 27.3% was also set, down from 27.4% in October 2023.

“The coal and coal and gas share minimums are closely linked to the RE share maximum, each complementing the other, reflecting the gradual reduction in reliance on fossil fuels as renewable energy continues to rise, particularly this time of the year,” Eldridge says on LinkedIn.

“Today marks a modest yet significant step in Australia’s energy transition, with the annual shift toward a new NEM Renewable Energy (RE) Share maximum – potentially reaching 75% in the next few months.”