Renewable energy records continue to fall across Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM), including a new high for rooftop solar in New South Wales at the weekend and, in Queensland, a new high for the potential amount of renewables in the state, taking into account solar and wind curbs.
First up, Queensland, where renewables plus curtailment hit a new high of 7,450.7 MW at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday 21 September, 31.95 MW more than the previous record of 7,418.8 MW on 29 December 2023.
According to Geoff Eldridge, of Global Power EnergyThis figure was followed by a new maximum instantaneous renewable quota (including reduction) of 94.3% at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, 3.35% more than the previous 90.9% in August 2023.
New minimum shipping price
On the way to this record, the state reached a new minimum dispatch price for wholesale electricity, when prices fell into the negative to -$801.1/MWh at 11:35 a.m., down $712.77/MWh from the previous record of -$88.3/MWh on September 3, 2024.
Renewables also helped Queensland’s minimum instantaneous native demand hit a new low of 4,480.2 MW at 8am on Sunday, down 209.68 MW from the previous record of 4,689.9 MW, also recorded on a Sunday morning earlier this month.
Queensland also recorded a new record for instantaneous renewables curtailment of 2,416.6MW at 1.15pm on Sunday, up from 2,311.9MW recorded more than a year ago at 1pm on Saturday.
In New South Wales, meanwhile, GPE NEMLog recorded a record rooftop solar share of 53.4% as of 12:30 on Saturday, September 21, only a slight increase from the previous high of 52.8% recorded a few days earlier on September 18.
Minimum demand
A new low for operational demand in the state of 3,555 MW was also recorded at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, down 141 MW from the previous record of 3,696 MW on Sept. 1, 2024.
Eldridge says the new records in New South Wales and Queensland highlight ongoing changes in demand patterns and renewables dynamics for both states as they move away from coal and try to manage growing renewables shares.
“These records reflect the ongoing impact of increasing renewable generation in the NEM,” Eldridge writes on LinkedIn. “As the energy transition continues, understanding and adapting to these evolving trends remains essential to maintaining a reliable and resilient grid.”
