Solar and wind energy is surging in the National Electricity Market but only at about half the annual rate the market operator says is needed to hit its “Step Change” scenario or the Albanese government’s 2030 target of 82 per cent renewable energy.

The NEM, a wholesale market extending across the eastern states and South Australia, added about 8.5 terawatt hours between June 2022 and June 2023, up from 7.9 TWh added during the previous year, according to data from Dylan McConnell, a senior research associate at the University of NSW.