South Australia rooftop photovoltaic exploded! Power supply soared to 107.5%

Recently, South Australia's rooftop solar PV broke 100% of grid demand contribution, reaching a peak of 107.5%.

According to OpenNEM data, at about 13:45 on November 17, South Australia's rooftop solar PV generation reached 1,720 MW, meeting 107.5% of the state's demand. This is the latest milestone achieved by the state, which exceeded 100% of photovoltaic power generation for the first time last month.

On the other hand, large-scale ground-mounted solar PV only met 0.7% of demand, providing 11.5MW of electricity.

This is the latest milestone achieved by South Australia in its energy transition, demonstrating the successful promotion and application of renewable energy technologies. According to PV

Tech, the state achieved more than 100% renewable energy supply during the winter of 2024 (August 26 to September 1).

During this period, rooftop solar PV generation accounted for 21.1% of 102.2%, generating about 56GWh a week, with an average price of AUD 52.02/MWh (US$33). On the other hand, large-scale ground-mounted solar power accounted for 3.9% of the overall energy mix, about 10.4GWh, with an average price of AUD 30.96/MWh.

South Australia plans to achieve 100% renewable energy generation by 2027

South Australia's strength in the renewable energy sector has enabled it to target 100% wind and solar photovoltaic by 2027, and in July 2024 became the first state in Australia to sign a renewable energy transition agreement with the federal government.

The agreement will provide developers with guarantees by the state government to support the development of at least 1GW of solar and wind power generation projects. The federal government's support will also provide the grid with 400MW of new energy storage projects to provide additional stability and flexibility as the grid transitions to variable renewable energy.

In signing the agreement, South Australia must commit to implementing its "Hydrogen Jobs Plan", establishing its own specific grid reliability mechanism and benchmark to replace the national framework, and working with the federal government to implement policies, practices and processes to improve community participation.

Western Australia becomes the second state to sign such an agreement since South Australia signed it, with plans to develop at least 6.5TWh of wind and solar projects, as well as 1.1GW of new energy storage to help keep the grid stable.