Commentary

Tables – large scale renewable energy projects being built, or about to start

Published by

These tables were put together by the Clean Energy Council to highlight the large scale wind and solar projects already under construction in 2017, and those that are expected to start this year.

Together they make a total of 3,554MW, putting the country well within reach of the 2020 renewable energy target of 33,000GWh, a total that is expected to require between 5,000 and 6,000MW of large scale renewable energy capacity, depending on how much is wind and how much is solar.

These projects include several projects, such as the Hornsdale 2 and 3, and the Kiata wind farms, that were commissioned by the ACT government for its 100 per cent renewable energy target and will be over and above the federal RET.

Ararat wind farm has also been completed, so is not included in these tables although its capacity of 240MW is included in the total for the year.

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

Giles Parkinson

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

“This has to change:” Flurry of late orders breaks wind drought and gives global turbine giants hope for 2026

A flurry of late orders has broken the wind investment drought in Australia, with global…

23 December 2025

Modelling spot prices in a post-coal grid, when big batteries will become the price setters

Electricity prices can be kept near today’s levels in a post-coal National Electricity Market, but…

23 December 2025

Traditional Owners accuse huge NT solar and battery project of “worst consultation you can think of”

A legal move to extinguish any native claims over land proposed to host the giant…

23 December 2025

Energy Insiders Podcast: Is the wind drought over?

We discuss some of the major events of the past year - the dominance of…

23 December 2025

SEC steps in to rescue another stalled project, an Australian-first wind farm overlooking coal ruins

SEC to build state's first publicly owned wind farm, that will be the first to…

23 December 2025

Leading battery storage developer says Australia will likely reach its 82 pct renewables target … in 2034

One of Australia's leading battery storage developers says Australia will likely not reach 82 per…

23 December 2025