More renewable energy records tumble across the grid as solar and wind flex their muscles
Renewable energy records continue to fall across the National Electricity Market (NEM), including a new high for rooftop solar in New South Wales on the weekend and, in Queensland, a new peak for the potential amount of renewables in the state, factoring in curtailed solar and wind.
First to Queensland, where on Saturday September 21 renewable energy plus renewable curtailment reached a new high of 7,450.7 MW at 13:20, up 31.95 MW from the previous record of 7,418.8 MW on 29th December 2023.
According to Geoff Eldridge from Global Power Energy, this was followed by a new maximum instantaneous share of renewables (including curtailment) of 94.3% at 13:05 hrs on Sunday September 22, up 3.35% from previous of 90.9 % back in August 2023.
On the way to this record, the state achieved a new low dispatch price for wholesale electricity, when prices plunged into the negative to -801.1$/MWh at 11:35am, a 712.77 $/MWh decrease on the previous record of -88.3 $/MWh on September 03, 2024.
Renewables also helped to push Queensland’s minimum instantaneous native demand to a new low of 4,480.2 MW at 8:00am on Sunday morning, down 209.68 MW from previous of 4,689.9 MW, also recorded on a Sunday morning, earlier this month.
