Tracking progress to QRET
The Queensland renewable energy targets require that 50% of Queensland’s electricity generation is sourced from renewables by 2030, 70% by 2032 and 80% by 2035.
Queensland already has significant renewable generation capacity and there are times when renewable generation exceeds 50%. However, there are variations in resource availability and dispatchability of both renewable and non-renewable generation.
The renewable electricity percentage is calculated as the ratio of renewable generation to total generation.
This is a change from the previous method which defined the renewable percentage as the ratio of renewable generation to consumption. There is a small difference between percent of generation and percent of consumption because of imports / exports to New South Wales.
The calculation of Queensland’s renewable energy percentage relies on publicly available data from AEMO, supplemented by Department estimates for generators where AEMO data is not available (typically smaller generators below 30MW in capacity).
The Department seeks to assess the contribution of every renewable generator to calculate the total renewable generation in Queensland. This includes renewable generation not collected by AEMO such as small hydro and small bagasse plants which were Queensland’s very first renewable facilities. The department also refers to data from the Clean Energy Regulator.
Generally, the department utilises 5-minute metered generation data whenever possible. Where this option is not available, the department either relies on AEMO estimates or makes its own estimates when AEMO estimates are not available using the energy capacity of the plant and standard generation profiles.
Generation data
Calculating the renewable percentage employs data from Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for metered generation, and is supplemented by the Department of Energy and Climate's estimates where necessary for some small generators.
The generation data used is as follows:
Parameter | Data source |
---|---|
Renewable energy generation | AEMO, supplemented by department estimates for generators where AEMO data is not available |
Thermal generation | AEMO, supplemented by department estimates for generators where AEMO data is not available |
Small-scale solar / rooftop PV | AEMO estimates |
Mt Isa and isolated networks | Department figures based on energy supply studies and input from Energy Queensland Ltd. |
AEMO publishes actual 5-minute electricity generation data for scheduled generating units, semi-scheduled generating units and some non-scheduled generating units. AEMO also provides estimates for the output from rooftop solar PV systems.
- Last updated:
- 15 March 2024