This feature chart tells two stories: renewables are rising to dominate Australia’s National Electricity Market, and their output fluctuates with the seasons.
In January 2007, fossil fuels supplied 94% of power in the National Electricity Market (NEM), with renewables at just 6%. Sixteen years later, the mix has shifted. By October 2024—renewables' peak at the time of writing—fossil fuels had fallen to 57%, while renewables had climbed to 48%. The moment the orange and green lines cross will mark the first month Australians in NEM states rely more on renewables than fossil fuels for electricity.
How to read this chart:
- The horizontal x-axis tracks each month since January 2007. Hover over the orange and green lines to see exact dates.
- The vertical y-axis shows the share of total electricity consumed in the National Electricity Market (NEM), which covers all Australian states and territories except WA and NT.
- The orange line represents the share of electricity from fossil fuels as a percentage of total power consumed.
- The green line represents the share of electricity from renewables as a percentage of total power consumed.
- Each datapoint shows the monthly share.
How this chart was made:
- Daily electricity data (in Gigawatt Hours) is sourced from Open Electricity.
- Each fuel source is classified as either fossil or renewable. Here’s the breakdown.
- Monthly share is calculated as the percentage of electricity consumed from renewables or fossil fuels, relative to total electricity consumption.
Why use monthly view?
- Renewable sources have already surpassed fossil fuels at times. For example, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) reported that renewables peaked at 75.6% of the NEM on November 6, 2024.
- This chart shows the broader trend by tracking the monthly share of renewables and fossil fuels.
What causes the jagged lines?
- Monthly trends reveal another key pattern—how seasons shape electricity generation. The jagged lines highlight this effect, with renewables peaking in spring and early summer and dipping in winter.
- These fluctuations reflect seasonal weather patterns, such as stronger solar output in longer, sunnier months and variable wind conditions throughout the year.
- Below are the breakout charts for solar and wind.
From the rooftop solar data page:
From the utility solar data page:
What happened in June 2024?
- June typically sees higher fossil fuel and lower renewable consumption, but June 2024 was more extreme, breaking the trend of the previous two years.
- AEMO’s Quarterly Energy Dynamics Q3 2024 report explains why.
- Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia recorded some of their coldest June days, driving a surge in gas demand. Record gas flows were sent from Queensland to southern markets to meet this spike.
- At the same time, hydro output dipped. Low dam levels led hydro generators to raise their offer prices to conserve water, further shifting the energy mix.
- Below are the breakout charts for gas and hydro.
Explore more yourself
- Australia's Energy Dashboard
- Australia's Fuel Dashboard
- Australia's Renewables Dashboard
- Don't forget to use the geolocation dropdown in the top right corner to select your state.
Have a question we should investigate for a feature chart? Let us know.