Australia’s evening peak energy demand, traditionally reliant on gas, is now being met almost equally by batteries, marking a significant shift in the national grid’s power sources. Gas generation during critical hours between 5pm and 8pm has dropped sharply over the past year, with nearly two-thirds less output as large-scale battery storage and half a million residential battery installations under government incentives have expanded rapidly. The analysis highlights how renewable energy storage is reshaping Australia’s energy mix, reducing dependence on fossil fuels during high-demand periods. Consultancy EnergyEdge’s findings underscore the accelerating role of batteries in stabilizing the grid.
Batteries now meet almost half of the grid’s dispatchable power needs during hours of highest demand Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s dependence on gas for power during the evening, when the grid is under the most pressure, has fallen by almost nearly 70% over the past year as batteries surged in, replacing the fossil fuel.Gas generation during the busy early evening, between 5pm and 8pm, fell by 67% in the year to August, as large-scale batteries continued to come online and half a million home batteries were installed under the government’s subsidy program, analysis by consultancy EnergyEdge found. Continue reading...
