There has been a record contribution of renewables in Australia with an uptick in solar, wind, and battery generation in the state, a report by the Australian Energy Market Operator shows.
There has been a record contribution of renewables in Australia with an uptick in solar, wind, and battery generation in the state, a report by the Australian Energy Market Operator shows.
AEMO’s quarterly energy dynamics report showed there has been an increase in rooftop solar generation in Western Australia, and higher wind and batteries, in the three months to September.
The higher contribution of renewables to the state's wholesale electricity market led to a record third quarter average renewable contribution of 35.2 per cent, surpassing the previous 29.6 per cent reported in Q3 2022, AEMO's report shows.
In its report, the AEMO recorded a 78 megawatt increase in rooftop solar and a 90MW rise in wind generation.
Nationally, the AEMO found 45.6 gigawatts of new capacity progressed in the three months to September 2024, a 36 per cent increase from the same time last year.
Renewable sources supplied 72.2 per cent of the total national electricity market generation, according to AEMO’s report.
Rooftop solar was the top renewable source with 38.5 per cent of the total generation, followed by grid-scale solar contributing 18.3 per cent and wind at 13.4 per cent.
AEMO WA interim executive general manager Nicola Falcon said rising rooftop solar contributions in the state’s wholesale electricity market offset higher underlying demand in the third quarter of 2024.
“Contributing to the higher wind output was increased resource availability and the introduction of the 73.4 MW Flat Rocks Wind Farm,” she said.
“Additionally, the increased battery contribution can be linked to the second big battery, Collie Battery, entering the WEM.
“Combined injection from the batteries rose the most during the morning and evening demand peaks, while withdrawal during the middle of the day helped soak up excess rooftop solar generation.”
Average energy prices were $80.15 per MWh, which AEMO calculated to be 1.7 per cent above the Q2 2024 average but a 10 per cent decrease from Q3 2023.
In its report, AEMO found production in WA’s domestic gas space rose 6 per cent in Q3 2024 compared to the same time last year but consumption remained steady.
A full year of production at Walyering gas plant in the Perth Basin and higher production volumes at Karratha Gas Plant and Wheatstone contributed to the increase, AEMO said in its report.