Solar generation was the primary driver of an all-time 80.4% peak in the National Electricity Market (NEM) from renewable and storage generation in the half hour to 1,230 on Saturday, 19 September 2026.

This was 3.2 pp higher than the same period in 2025, and exceeded a previous record set in October 2025, by 1.8 pp. At the time of the Q3 2026 peak, distributed solar supplied 51.8% of total generation, and grid-scale solar adding a further 16.4%.

Also, during Q3 2026, distributed solar capacity across the NEM reached 27 GW from 3.9 million consumer energy resources (CER) installations, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%, which drove output to a Q3 average high of 3,203 MW (+13%), and setting a new peak generation record of 16,992 MW on 20 September 2026.

“CER solar capacity expanded consistently across all regions, with New South Wales (NSW) reaching 9.3 GW, followed by Queensland at 8.3 GW,” the data source and Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Quarterly Dynamic Report (QDR) says.

“Victoria and South Australia distributed PV capacity reached 6.1 GW and 3.1 GW respectively. Growth in Tasmania remained comparatively smaller and reached 0.4 GW.”

AEMO Executive General Manager Policy and Corporate Affairs Violette Mouchaileh said the quarter showed how demand, supply and storage were continuing to change across the NEM.

“Electricity use continues to grow, but more solar and storage is changing when energy is produced, drawn from the grid and shifted across the day,” Mouchaileh said.

4%.

Source link