South Australia electricity reached 60 per cent from renewables in 2020

Renewables share of electricity generated in SA continues to grow, as the state finished 2020 with the cheapest wholesale price.

THE state ran with 60 per cent of its electricity being generated by renewable energy in 2020, analysts estimate.

In addition, South Australia ended the year with the fourth consecutive month of having the cheapest wholesale price in the national electricity market.

The prices, from the Australian Energy Market Operator, shows SA generators were paid an average $16.78 per megawatt hour in December.

In NSW and Queensland, the states most reliant on black coal power stations, the prices were the highest at $71.38 and $54.46 respectively.

Using the AEMO data, market analyst Geoff Eldridge estimated that SA relied on 59.9 per cent renewables.

This was made up from 43.4 per cent wind, 12.6 per cent rooftop solar and 3.9 per cent utility-scale solar.

Gas made up almost the rest at 40.7 per cent.

In the market’s half-hour trading intervals, renewables frequently provided more than 100 per cent of SA’s needs in 2020, with excess exported to Victoria.

The year also will be remembered for SA setting a global benchmark, with the state powered 100 per cent from solar alone on Sunday 11 October from 12 noon to 1pm.

“Never before has a jurisdiction the size of SA been completely run be solar power, with consumers’ rooftop solar systems contributing 77 per cent,” outgoing managing director of AEMO Audrey Zibelman said.

AEMO expected 36,000 more solar systems to be installed in SA from then until the end of this year.

“This is truly a phenomenon in the global energy landscape,” Ms Zibelman said.

Originally published as South Australia electricity reached 60 per cent from renewables in 2020