Renewables power over 80% of grid for first time
Renewables hit 80.5% of Australia's main grid for the first time on Saturday.
Australia's main electricity grid ran on more than 80 per cent renewable energy for the first time on Saturday afternoon. The grid hit 80.5 per cent at 12.25 pm.
This beat the previous record of 79.6 per cent set just a day earlier. The actual renewable output was even higher still.
The grid deliberately shut down more than half of available wind power. The grid also shut down nearly half of large-scale solar to keep the system stable.
Rooftop solar panels alone were meeting more than half of demand. Coal generators dropped to just 18.8 per cent of the grid.
The curtailment happened because Australia's grid cannot yet safely run on 100 per cent renewables. It needs coal and gas generators on standby.
Grid operators need better battery storage and new control systems called grid-forming inverters to unlock that next step.
Why it mattersRenewable power is being wasted. This shows Australia's clean energy infrastructure is already ahead of what the grid can use. Storage and stability systems, not solar farms, are now the limiting factor.
AustraliaAustralia's electricity sector is transforming faster than grid operators expected, but power reliability and prices now depend on solving battery storage and grid control problems within the next two to three years.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 4 d ago
