Solar records tumble across the grid, stretches midday gap over coal to nearly 10 GW

With the arrival of warmer weather in the last month of spring and an uptick in demand, large scale solar and rooftop PV have been breaking records left, right and centre across the National Electricity Market, showcasing the growing impact of renewable energy.

Solar across the NEM reached a new peak of 6,582.4 MW at 10.20am (AEST) on Friday, a significant increase of 544.86 MW (or 9.03 per cent) from the previous record of 6,037.5 MW set on September 22 this year.

This was not just a one-off event with new solar highs also recorded today in both NSW and Queensland. And in addition to that, the NEM also hit a new maximum for the share of large scale solar, reaching 24.5 per cent at 8.20am.

The combination of large scale solar and rooftop PV hit an all-time high of 18,138.3 MW at 11.50am on Friday across the grid, while the total output of all renewable energy hit a new peak of 20,669 MW at the same time.

Another notable highlight was the Maximum Instantaneous NEM Solar Rooftop PV minus Coal measure, which shows the difference between solar output and coal output.

Solar only overtook coal – on an instantaneous basis – for the first time on August 22, 2021, but on Friday, also at 11.50am, the gap reached 9,561.8 MW, again showcasing the shift towards cleaner energy sources.

But that’s not all:

– Queensland’s solar generation a new record high of 2,771.9 MW at 09:45 hrs on Friday, outperforming the previous high by 45.88 MW.

– The large scale solar share in Queensland also reached a new peak record of 34.0% at the same time, marking a jump from the earlier 32.9% on August 6.

– NSW was not far behind, with its solar generation reaching a record 2,938.4 MW at 11:30 hrs on Friday, surpassing the previous record by 70.02 MW on September 22.

– Additionally, rooftop PV in NSW achieved a record 7,176.0 MW at 11:30 hrs, up 491.30 MW from previous of 6,684.7 MW on October 5.

These milestones are not just numbers, they represent a significant shift towards sustainable energy solutions, highlighting the growing importance and reliability of solar power in our energy mix.

As we acknowledge these milestones, our industry also recognises the technical challenges ahead, particularly in grid integration and storage solutions, to fully harness solar energy’s potential.

Days like today should inspire and motivate us to keep pushing towards a greener, cleaner future, addressing these challenges with innovation and resilience.

Geoff Eldridge specialises in analysis, visuals and data feeds of the National Electricity market via nemlog.com.au.