Wind and solar smash output records as demand hits new highs in heatwave
Wind and solar set new output records this week, as a sweltering, early summer heatwave sent grid demand soaring to new highs.
The records were set across the NEM, and particularly so in South Australia, already a world leader in the uptake of wind and solar with an average 72% share of demand.
In South Australia, the output of variable renewables – large scale wind and solar and rooftop PV - set a new record of 3,480.6 MW at 12.50pm (AEST), easily beating the previous high of 3,143 MW.
That was because native demand – as a result of temperatures soaring above 45°C in some parts of the state – also hit a record around the same time.
South Australia often has the ability to produce that much variable renewable energy, but large amounts are usually curtailed because demand is not so high.
The state’s portfolio is also being boosted by the ramping up of capacity at what will be the biggest wind project in South Australia, the 412 MW Goyder South facility.
And the heatwave, which sent temperatures up to 16°C above average in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, set new demand records across the NEM.
South Australia’s record demand was nearly matched by wind and solar generation, underscoring renewables’ role in offsetting peak grid stress.
In other parts of the grid, the situation is not so serene, as the share of renewables is considerably lower and grid supply is more dependent on ageing coal generators, which are notoriously unreliable in the summer heat.
In NSW, the biggest grid with the biggest portfolio of coal generators, two key units were offline due to unplanned outages.