Sunshine State sets a new renewables record – before the sun comes up

Queensland has set a new wind record, reaching a 30.1 share per cent of demand at 2.35am on Monday and marking the first time the share of wind generation has passed 30 per cent for the state.

The new record, marked on LinkedIn on Monday by Geoff Eldridge from Global Power Energy, coincided with the day’s maximum wind output of 1,704 megawatts (MW), so both the share and the MW contribution aligned at the same point, Eldridge says.

Two of the major contributors were the partially commissioned MacIntyre wind farm (372 MW) – still stranded at a hold point – along with the new Clarke Creek (380 MW) and Coopers Gap (360 MW) wind farms. The Wambo, Dulacca, Kaban, and Mt Emerald wind farms made up most of the rest.

Image: Geoff Eldridge, GPE NEMLog

The new record for Queensland beats the previous high wind share of 29.6 per cent, recorded at 3.55 am on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago. The record one year earlier stood at 16.5 per cent at 1.00am on a Thursday. 

As Eldridge notes, what makes this series of records particularly interesting is their timing – all have occurred in the wee hours of the morning, well outside of solar hours and when there is no curtailment. At the time of the Monday record, Queensland was also exporting around 815 MW.

“As more wind enters the Queensland system, these overnight and early morning outcomes may become increasingly important,” says Eldridge.

“They show how a more diverse renewable mix can contribute beyond solar hours, and how wind can sometimes step forward more clearly when solar is absent and curtailment is not in the way.”

Image: Geoff Eldridge, GPE NEMLog

The above chart, published by Eldridge, shows the progress of Queensland’s wind share shown in daily maximum, mean and minimum since Aug 2018. Eldridge says the 1,704 MW share recorded on Monday morning was the third highest ever, 28 MW lower than the 1,732 MW on Nov 22, 2025.

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