South Australia Grid May Soon Become 100% Reliant On Renewables

South Australia Grid May Soon Become 100% Reliant On Renewables

South Australia seems to be moving towards an interesting journey. The region is now touted to become the first grid in the world to be run 100% net on solar and wind energies. This means that although the grid will continue to use thermal power, it will be able to infuse enough renewable power to match the total consumption.

Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS)

This comes when the region is set to see several solar and wind projects of large scale. The Australian government under the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) has awarded several projects of GW-scale for the region, which is set to transform its fortune soon. And the whole target of the net-zero grid will be achieved with only solar and wind, without using hydropower.

Data on the consumption of power in South Australia. Source: NEP

The Australian government recently awarded around 2.8 GW of solar projects in the first CIS tender. This is besides 3.55 GW of wind projects. South Australia was able to secure two of these projects. Launched in 21023, the CIS of Australia envisions the generation of 32 GW of renewable energy and energy storage. This underwriting scheme is based on the Contracts of Difference (CfD) model.

Renewables dominate in South Australia 

Data on the generation of renewable energy in South Australia Source: NEP

Latest data from the open NEP claims in South Australia, 73.4% of the total energy consumed comes from renewables while merely 20.1% comes from fossil fuels while 9% is imported. In terms of generation, 76.5% of the energy here is generated only from renewable sources. On the other side, 23.5% is generated from fossil fuels.

With the penetration of higher solar and wind projects in the state, the region is now all set to see a massive revolution, titled heavily towards green energy. This presents a good case study on how the rise of renewable energy in the region can convert the whole grid into renewable energy. Soon with the commissioning of the mega solar and wind projects, the region will become fully dependent on renewable power.