Released November 14, 2025 | GAALWAY, IRELAND
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)
Summary
Renewable energy overtook power from fossil-fuel sources like coal and gas for the first time last month in Australia. It follows the rapid rollout of onshore wind and especially solar power over the past five years.
Australia's renewable energy sector produced more power than coal and gas sources for the first time in October, marking a pivotal shift in the country's power mix.
For the month of October, utility-supplied electricity from renewable sources hit 9.88 terawatts-hours (TWh), edging past the 9.82 TWh produced by fossil fuels, according to the latest data from energy analyst Ember (London, England).
Rapid Rise of Green Energy
The shift has been attributed to the rapid growth in Australia's clean energy capacity, which has surged by 99% in the past five years, up from 32 gigawatts (GW) in 2019 to 63.5 GW in 2024, as cited by Reuters. Australia's adoption of renewables has been almost twice as fast as the pace of global renewable adoption, despite a slow start more than a decade ago. The energy transformation has happened very quickly and reversed a position of trailing far behind the global average. In 2015, only 14% of the country's electricity came from renewables whereas in 2024 it was 40%, led by solar, wind and hydropower, according to the country's Clean Energy Council (CEA). Since 2020, clean electricity generated by utilities has increased on average 13% per year. This is more than twice as fast as the global average for that time period.
Solar Shining Brightest of All
Solar, thanks to a decade of massive utility-scale solar farms and more recently the surging growth in rooftop solar installations, now sits as the second-largest source of power behind coal. In 2024, large-scale solar farms contributed 7.2% of total power, but the real explosion came from rooftop solar, which supplied 12.4%. Industrial Info is tracking almost 450 solar power projects in Australia with a combined investment value of US$105 billion. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.
Battery Storage on the Up
In June, Industrial Info reported that Australia's energy storage sector saw investment top AUS$2.4 billion (US$1.6 billion) in the first three months of 2025. It was the second-strongest quarter on record, after the AUS$2.8 billion (US$1.8 billion) recorded for the last quarter of 2023. This year, the first three months saw six large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects worth AUS$2.4 billion in total reaching the financial commitment stage. They have a storage capacity of 1.5 gigawatts (GW) and will supply 5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in energy output, according to new figures released by the country's Clean Energy Council. For additional information, see June 06, 2025, article - Australia: Big Batteries are Big Business. Market watcher Rystad Energy (Oslo, Sweden) recently ranked Australia the third-largest market behind China and the U.S. for utility-scale battery capacity, with 14 GW/37 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of projects at or nearing financial close. The company said that the pipeline of battery energy storage projects rose 45 GW in 12 months, from 109 GW in August 2024 to 154 GW a year later.
By the Numbers
- 99%: The growth of Australia's clean energy capacity in the past five years
- 40%: Renewables' share in the electricity mix in 2024
- US$105 billion: The potential investment value of Australian solar projects being tracked by Industrial Info
Key Takeaways
- Renewable energy overtook fossil-fuel power in October for the first time ever in Australia's electricity mix.
- Solar power, both large-scale and rooftop, are now the second-largest power source behind coal.
- Solar power and onshore wind are the fastest growing segments of the country's power market.
About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
