Newly released data shows renewables supplied record amounts of Australia’s electricity in 2019.
The Australian Energy Statistics have revealed that Australian renewables achieved a 21 per cent share of Australia’s total electricity generation last year.
The growth in renewable energy output has been driven by a 46 per cent growth in solar output and 19 per cent increase in wind power.
The data shows renewables contributed an additional 5744 GWh of electricity over the year, growing from a 19 to 21 per cent share between 2018 and 2019.
Wind was the largest source of renewable energy with 7.3 per cent of total generation, followed by solar with 6.7 per cent and hydro with 5.4 per cent.
The data breaks the energy mix down by state, showing that 50 per cent of South Australia’s electricity generation was met by renewables, with solar output growing by more than one-third.
A 10 per cent growth in Tasmania’s wind generation pushed renewables to a 94 per cent share, with hydro contributing an 81 per cent of the state’s electricity.
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, highlighted the 6.3 GW of new renewable energy capacity delivered in 2019, predicting a similar level of growth in 2020.
“Australia continues to be a world-leader in renewable energy, with ongoing increases in renewable capacity and generation”, he said.