Wind, solar and rooftop PV set output records, and send coal and gas plunging to new lows

The record season for renewable energy has extended from its traditional period over spring into summer, with numerous output records tumbling on Monday for the instantaneous generation of large scale wind and solar, rooftop PV and renewables in general.

The new records reflect a combination of new capacity and excellent conditions for generating power from wind and solar across much of the main grid, known as the National Electricity Market. It also coincided with a significant fall in the record low for the share in coal and gas power in the state of Victoria.

According to GPE NEMLog’s Geoff Eldridge, the record for instantaneous output of variable renewable (VRE, or wind, solar and rooftop PV) high a new high of 23,619.5 megawatts (MW) at 13.10 AEST on Monday, a significant increase from the previous record of 23,241.9 MW, again set on Wednesday, November 6.

Eldridge notes that the new record is 18.3 per cent above the record a year ago which was set at 19,1971 MW in October, 2023 – demonstrating the growth of both large scale and rooftop PV over the past year.

A couple of other records fell around the same time. At 11.20 AEST (the grid does not have daylight saving) a new record for instantaneous output of large scale solar and rooftop PV hit a new peak of 19,773 MW, also beating a previous peak set on November 6.

The total output of all renewables, including hydro, hit a new peak of 24,213.8 MW, significantly exceeding the prior record of 23,645.2 MW, also set on November 6.

“The energy transition continues, and with milestones like these, the future of Australia’s electricity system looks increasingly impacted by renewable energy sources, particularly this time of the year,” Eldridge noted in a post on LinkedIn.

Also of note was the new low grid share of coal and gas in the state of Victoria., which fell to 21.9 per cent, a 2,83 per cent drop from the previous record low of 24.7 per cent set on February 13 this year.

Eldridge notes that previous February record was driven by exceptional circumstances when severe storms brought down multiple transmission towers, causing major transmission lines to trip, along with Victoria’s biggest coal generator, Loy Yang A, along with some renewable plants.

“In contrast, today’s record reflects the steady growth of renewable energy and a deliberate shift away from traditional fossil fuel generation,” Eldridge notes.

Australia as a whole has a target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030. Victoria has a legislated target of 95 per cent renewables by 2035.