‘Tsunami' of new wind and solar projects drives renewables output to a record

Renewable energy supplied more than a quarter of the National Electricity Market last month amid windy weather and a "tsunami of new wind and solar projects" reaching completion, The Australia Institute said.

Large-scale solar's contribution to the grid is just beginning to soar.

The progressive think tank's latest energy and emission audit found renewables including hydro and rooftop solar generated a record 25.6 per cent of electricity supplied to the market that serves about four in five Australians.

Read the by Peter Hannam from The Age - “‘Tsunami' of new wind and solar projects drives renewables output to a record.”

October's windy weather: from Melbourne

You've heard the expression to run like the wind. Well in Melbourne the past month, the wind didn't run - it flew.

But exactly how far did Melbourne's persistent spring winds travel? Put it this way: if you hitched a ride you'd need a passport.

In October the wind that passed through the Bureau of Meteorology's Tullamarine observation station travelled at 18,165 kilometres.

That's the equivalent distance of a return trip to Beijing. Or a one-way jaunt to Europe's most westerly point, Cabo da Roca west of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

Read Bridie Smith’s story in the Melbourne Age - “October's windy weather: from Melbourne.”