South Australia looks to set 100% renewables target for 2027 in law, building on its world-leading clean energy
An International Energy Agency (IEA) report in September 2024 ranked South Australia, along with Denmark, a top performer worldwide in integrating wind and solar energy into its power system. South Australia and Denmark were rated five out of six for integrating renewables, compared to three for Australia as a whole, with most countries rated one or two.
Images courtesy South Australia government
The South Australia government in 2024 was building on the state’s world-leading clean-energy status with proposed changes to its Climate Change Act to update its renewable electricity target to 100% by 2027 – three years earlier than the previous 2030 goal.
In addition to new targets, the changes in the Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2024 requireda state-wide plan to reduce emissions and state-wide climate assessment to identify risks and opportunities and how South Australia could adapt and plan to be prepared for them.
The accelerated timeline to 100% net renewables by 2027 was possible because South Australia was leading the nation with more than 74% of its electricity generated from renewable sources, compared to the national average of just less than 40%. The legislative amendments included a new interim emissions target for at least 60% interim emissions reduction target by 2030 relative to 2005 levels. This compared to a 43% interim national reduction target, and an interim target of 30% in Queensland, 50% in New South Wales and 45-50% in Victoria. South Australia already had cut its emissions by more than 50% since 2005.
South Australia already had made remarkable and rapid progress to decarbonise its energy. In 2007, just one per cent of its electricity came from solar and wind. By 2023, this had risen to 74% – the highest of any major grid in the world, including another frontrunner Denmark that achieved 60% in the same year. In 2023, renewables met all South Australia’s had 289 days when renewables met all electricity demands for part of the day.
More than 40% of South Australian homes had solar panels installed – the highest proportion of any Australian state. More than 35,000 home batteries were also installed across South Australia. On New Year’s Eve 2023, rooftop solar alone met 101.7% of South Australia’s energy needs for 30 minutes – a world record for a grid of its size, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator.
South Australia was a pioneer in wind power, expanding from a single wind farm in 2003 to 24 in 2024, producing alomst47% of South Australia’s total energy production.
The New Scientist magazine called South Australia a “trailblazer”, a “renewable energy champion” and a global model for how to “cut carbon fast”.
An International Energy Agency (IEA) report in September 2024 ranked South Australia, along with Denmark, a top performer a worldwide in integrating wind and solar energy into its power system. South Australia and Denmark were rated as five out of six for integrating renewables. That compared to three for Australia as a whole, with most countries still ranked one or two.
