If you’ve been wondering how far renewable energy has come in Australia, here’s a moment worth noting. On Monday morning, wind and solar energy reached a new peak output on the National Electricity Market (NEM) and it tells us a lot about where the energy transition is heading.
Let’s walk through what happened, why it matters, and what’s changing behind the scenes.
New Renewable Energy Record: 12,563 MW in a Single Moment
At 10:30 AM on Monday, wind and solar combined hit 12,563 megawatts (MW)—a new high for instantaneous output on Australia’s main electricity grid. This easily surpassed the previous record of 12,261 MW set in December.
Although renewables made up about 65% of the total energy mix at that time (not quite the record 75% share), this new high reflects a steady and powerful climb driven by newly connected projects.
What’s Powering This Growth?
Several large-scale wind and solar projects are now feeding electricity into the grid. A few key contributors include:
- MacIntyre Wind Precinct (QLD)
- Golden Plains Wind Farm (VIC)
- Goyder South (SA)
- Clarke Creek (QLD)
As these projects continue commissioning, their capacity is boosting overall wind output, especially in Victoria, where major gains have been noted.
Victoria’s Wind Output Hits New Peak – A Closer Look
Geoff Eldridge from GPE NEMLog shared that Victoria hit a new wind generation record of 4,352.8 MW on Monday—up 646.7 MW from the previous July peak.
That growth came largely from the Golden Plains Wind Farm East, where just Units 1–3 added over 486 MW compared to last year.
However, not all wind farms contributed positively. Older projects like Macarthur and Bulgana actually delivered less output than they did a year ago, showing the contrast between new and aging infrastructure.
Energy Mix at the Time of the Record
Here’s how the generation looked in Victoria when the wind record was set:
| Energy Source | Output (MW) | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 4,353 | 55.1% |
| Coal | 3,407 | 43.1% |
| Solar (PV) | Negligible | — |
- Total demand in Victoria: ~7,901 MW
- Exports to other NEM regions: ~1,635 MW
With rooftop solar still ramping up for the day, wind was doing most of the heavy lifting.
Usually, peak wind output happens later in the day, but this time it occurred in the early morning hours. Eldridge noted that wind generation even approached 5,000 MW, but curtailments—reducing generation due to oversupply—cut it back by up to 1,000 MW.
- Early morning demand is lower, so high local output can exceed consumption.
- Interconnectors played a key role, allowing Victoria to export power and reduce curtailment.
- Battery charging kicked in too, responding to negative prices caused by oversupply.
This moment highlights the growing challenge of managing abundant clean energy during periods of light demand—a challenge the grid is now learning to navigate.