More than 40% of the electricity used in the main electrical network of Australia at the start of the year was renewable | Energy

Renewable energy production has increased considerably in the main electrical network of Australia in the past year, producing 43% of the electricity used in the five Eastern States and the law between January and March.

The increase – from 39% last year – came while the generation of power plants with black and brown coal fell at its lowest level ever recorded for the first trimester, partly due to the unlikely aging stations due to breakdowns. The production of gas electricity was also down.

The Australian energy market operator said that the passage of fossil fuels zero sources of emissions led to a 5.1% drop in greenhouse gas emissions on the East Coast.

Electricity was up 16% of solar roof panels, 18% of Windfarms and 10% of large solar farms. The output of the storage of batteries jumped 86% because several large batteries were connected to the grid.

Total electricity demand has reached a new record for the quarter, mainly due to the inhabitants of Victoria and South Australia using the air conditioners more. But the demand for electricity of large generators and farms fell slightly while solar energy on the roof continued to play a more important role. More than 4 million houses across the country have solar systems.

Data suggests that a recent break in the expansion of large -scale renewable energies can be completed and that a long -term drop in climate pollution in the electricity sector may have taken up. Experts have said that growth should accelerate to push the country towards the Albanian government's target of 82% of electricity from renewable energies by 2030.

The average wholesale prices of electricity fell by 6% compared to the last quarter of last year, but still 9% higher than the first quarter of 2024. The increase from one year to the other was mainly pulled by a big leap in wholesale prices in Tasmania, where the cost of hydroelectric generation has jumped.

The average prices in the Eastern States of the continent varied, but have dropped overall by 2.5%. An increase in the cost of coal and hydroelectricity was mainly offset by the increased use of solar energy and cheap wind.

Stephanie Bashir, director general of Nexa Advisory, said that renewable generation and batteries had “a positive impact on system dynamics, wholesale prices and programs”.

“It's good for electrical safety, reliability and affordability,” she said. “What we need at the moment of the Albanian government led by the majority is the ambition to accelerate this momentum.

“The transmission lines remain the missing link in the transition – we must unlock progress. Regional Australia is important … We must make sure that we support our regions to harvest the advantages and bring them with us on the trip. Do this and we can keep the lights on while continuing in the ultimate goal of becoming a superpower of renewable energy. ”

Greg Bourne of the climate council said that the data showed that “energy consumption is increasing and that renewable energies take up the challenge”.

“Renewable energies will continue to break records as the wholesale energy in Australia becomes cleaner, more affordable and more reliable,” he said.

Reinforcement capacity

The Albanian government has won its duties in 2022 assuming that solar and wind promoters would continue to build quickly as long as the authorities “recreated the nation” thanks to a commitment of $ 20 billion to build transmission lines and interstate connections required to exploit clean energy.

In November 2023, he recognized that this was not the case because the investment in major developments dried, and the Minister of Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, announced a strong expansion of a taxpayer -contribable program – known as the capacity investment scheme – to reach the objective of the government 82% of renewable energies.

He said that work subscribe 23 gigawatts of new solar and wind differences and 9 GW again storage between 2024 and 2027. The energy of fossil fuels was not eligible.

The government's commitment is to guarantee a minimum turnover for developers for the electricity they generate. Taxpayers will pay the difference if the commercial yield falls below this rate. Auctions for subscription contracts take place every six months.

The capacity investment program was not initially entered in the legislation, but has become law in February after a request from the Greens in exchange for support not linked to a bill.

Johanna Bowyer, analyst of the Institute of Energy Economy and Financial Analysis, said that the growing contribution of renewable energies, especially when the sun is high in the middle of the day, meant that the prices of wholesale electricity were zero or negative 18% of the time.

She said that the large -scale batteries have now won 88% of their income by buying and storing sunscreen and wind cheap during the day and selling it when prices were higher in the evening. The remaining 12% of income was earned By providing the frequency necessary to stabilize the grid.