Australia's Energy Landscape

(Latest of 2023)

A break down of Australia's total electricity generation reveals a shift toward renewable energy sources. While Australia's total electricity generation held steady at 273,106 GWh, renewable contributed up to 95,963 GWh, accounting for 35% of all alternatives.

A new milestone: One-third of Australia's electricity now comes from renewable sources

Source: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

The Australian Energy Statistics 2023 report shows that renewable energy has reached all-time highs contribution of 35% percentage, nearly 3% more than 2022. This achievement reflects Australia's dedication to its 2030 emissions reduction targets. A key initiative driving this progress is the establishment of the National Energy Transformation Partnership, which aims to transform Australia's energy system to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The state of New South Wales (NSW) also witnesses the same trend, with 35.6% of total electricity generation coming from renewable sources. Additionally, NSW is also leading in overall sustainable energy production, generating 25,453 GWh and contributing 25.5% to the national total. Followed by Queensland (QLD) and Victoria (VIC), these two major states both generated approximately 20,000 GWh of renewable energy.

In 2019, South Australia (SA) flipped the landscape to join Tasmania (TAS) as the only two states that are majorly powered by renewable energy. By 2023, SA and TAS are powered by sustainable sources at the rates of 74.5% and 98.24%, respectively.

Work in progress: Moving away from fossil fuels reliance

Source: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Renewable energy sources have become increasingly diverse, encompassing solar, wind, hydro, and biomass. The top three contributors are solar, accounting for 16% of total energy generation, wind at 12%, and hydro at 6%. Solar remains the predominant source, making up almost half of all sustainable options. Additionally, wind energy has shown consistent growth, increasing by 16% annually over the last eight years.

However, the majority of Australia's electricity generation still rely on fossil fuel sources including natural gas, oil products, brown coal and black coal. These traditional sources contributed up to 177,142 GWh (65 per cent) of total electricity generation in 2023, down 3 percentage points on 2022. Black coal remains the largest contributor with 93,969 GWh, which mainly comes from Queensland and New South Wales.