The renewable energy transition is well underway in Australia, but the deployment of renewable energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure needs to accelerate to keep pace with net zero requirements. This report analysed deployment progress to date, build rates and pipeline capacity across Australian states and territories to understand how each jurisdiction is tracking towards renewable energy targets. 

The report covers progress towards current renewable energy targets, additional deployment that is required to meet net zero commitments, and a high level understanding of priority areas for policymakers by jurisdiction.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) grid is integrated within the New South Wales (NSW) grid in Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) data hence the ACT is included in all NSW numbers presented in the report.

Key takeaways 

• Despite progress on renewable energy deployment, all jurisdictions need to do more to meet future demand based on anticipated electricity requirements in 2030 and 2050. This will involve accelerating the speed and scale of renewable generation and storage deployment.
• Most jurisdictions have more than enough publicly announced pipeline renewable capacity to meet 2030 and 2050 electricity requirements, although on average less than 12% of that capacity is under construction.
• The key task for policymakers is unlocking the pipeline capacity and accelerating deployment while ensuring community and environmental concerns are properly considered.
• There is an opportunity to considerably increase rooftop photovoltaic (PV) deployment in all jurisdictions. Increasing consumer energy resources uptake can provide significant public and private benefits.