The superpower vision

Map: Global distribution of combined wind and solar generation potential

Australia can become a renewable energy superpower.

Map: Global distribution of combined wind and solar generation potential

The map shows an area’s potential to generate electricity from the wind and sun.

  • Australia glows orange, showing our outstanding potential.
  • Most of Europe, Canada & the northern USA is blue because they have low potential.
  • The striped areas are economically underdeveloped nations; e.g., much of Africa is striped.
  • One factor behind our high renewable energy potential is that Australia is closer to the equator than most developed countries, allowing us to generate solar electricity more cheaply.

Also, Australia has another advantage: vast mineral deposits. Together, these enduring advantages mean Australia can benefit from embracing the renewable energy revolution. We can grasp a prosperous future with sustainable industries.

Political uncertainty: Slow progress

Australia has the potential to become a renewable energy superpower, but we need to act faster, or others will grab this opportunity.

One reason for our slow progress is the uncertainty caused by conflicting policies between the two major political parties, the ALP and the Coalition. While the ALP promotes Australia becoming a renewable energy superpower, the Federal Coalition opposes renewables. For example, the Coalition continues to promote nuclear, gas, and coal generation. Also, in Queensland, the ruling state Liberal National Party has halted major renewable energy projects and scrapped the earlier Labor government’s renewable energy targets.

I have written about the Coalition’s nuclear push during the 2025 Federal election campaign:

Progress towards the superpower vision

Renewable energy can do it! Here are some ways we have progressed and could progress towards renewable energy.

Our Eastern grid is 43% renewable

The generation of renewable electricity has expanded rapidly on our eastern grid, which covers all the eastern states.

Electricity Source  Jan 2000Dec 2025
Renewables4%42.9%
Fossil Fuels96%56.3%
Other0%  0.8%

See: Open Electricity Home page

Exporting refined minerals

When Australia exports refined minerals, it also exports the energy used to refine the minerals. This is far more efficient than alternative methods, one of which is exporting green hydrogen, which is costly as it must be liquified and carried in specialised ships.

Australia is already exporting renewable energy via refined minerals, and this could grow massively.

We export aluminium and its energy

We already export renewable energy through aluminium exported from our four aluminium smelters.

The Bell Bay aluminium smelter, for example:

  • Makes green aluminium using Tasmanian electricity, which is 99% renewable.
  • Uses 25% of Tasmania’s electricity demand.
  • Exports 80% of the aluminium it makes.
  • Exports 20% of Tasmania’s electricity demand: 80% of 25% = 20%.
  • Employs 440 people.

This is an efficient way of exporting large amounts of renewable energy. As other Australian states increase their renewable generation, we will be able to export large amounts of renewable energy from the other smelters at:

  • Tomago in New South Wales,
  • Boyne Island in Queensland and
  • Portland in Victoria.

Rio Tinto aims for 90% renewables by 2030

Rio Tinto plays a key role in three of Australia’s aluminium smelters (Bell Bay, Boyne Island, and Tomago) and also in iron ore mining. Critically, it aims to achieve 90% renewable energy by 2030 and considers that:

  • Firmed renewable generation can generate reliable electricity, which is necessary for aluminium smelters.
  • The falling cost of battery storage is promising.
  • Their smelters’ reliance on coal would lead to higher electricity costs and increased carbon dioxide emissions.

All these smelters use large amounts of electricity; e.g., the Tomago smelter, the largest aluminium smelter in Australia, uses about 11% of NSW’s electricity.

(Rio Tinto signs new wind deal as mining giant aims for 90% renewables by 2030: Renew Economy: 7 Jan 2026)

(Work starts on giant Tomago battery: Renew Economy: 3 Dec 2025)

We could export green steel

Australia could also export renewable energy by processing some of our iron ore into green steel using renewable electricity.

“Shifting just 20% of Australia’s iron ore exports, approximately 180 million tonnes annually, to green steel products could potentially increase annual export revenues by tens of billions of dollars, representing a transformative economic opportunity.”

(The end of Australia’s iron ore boom, and the rise of green steel: Barnard: Renew Economy: 2 June 2025)

Mining companies moving to renewables

Mining companies in remote areas are building isolated grids powered by wind farms, solar farms, and batteries, backed up by gas and diesel.

The company Gold Fields runs the Agnew mine in remote WA. In 2021, renewables supplied 55% of their annual electricity. For future projects, they envisage reaching 99% renewables.

Other companies using renewables include:

  • Alinta in Newman
  • The Bellview goldmine

Also, the Pilbara mining giants

  • Rio Tinto
  • BHP
  • Fortescue
  • The Roy Hill mine, part-owned by Gina Rinehart.
  • Woodside

For years, the Mining Council of Australia has been a powerful opponent of renewables. Now key players within this circle are investing in renewables.

See supporting articles on the Renew Economy website: Search for “mining renewables”.

(Pilbara mining giants agree to create a massive renewables hub: Renew Economy: 11 August 2023)

Fortescue’s massive electric trucks

Fortescue has developed zero-emissions heavy mining equipment. They have set up a research and testing centre and designed a 240-tonne battery truck to haul iron ore, batteries, and a charging system. Fortescue plans to take delivery of its first electric trucks in 2026 and aims for “real zero emissions” by 2030.

(Fortescue says electric 240-tonne haul trucks will save money, 23 Oct 2025, Renew Economy)

(This giant electric mining truck charges in under 30 minutes: Everything Electric Cars: YouTube 12-minute video.)

Giant electric ferry built in Tasmania

Tasmanian boat builder, Incat, has constructed the world’s largest battery-powered ship. This ferry will carry 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles, and will operate in South America.

(The world’s largest battery electric ship launched: The Guardian: 2 May 2025)

*FIX. Insert the ABC link from my email

Big batteries are now essential

From 2017 to 2020, the Tesla Hornsdale battery in South Australia was the world’s largest lithium-ion battery. Fully charged, it could deliver 100 megawatts for 1.3 hours.

The Coalition leader Morrison mocked the battery as being like the “big banana”. He was very wrong. Right from the start, this battery demonstrated that it was a super-rapid tool for controlling the grid.

A 530 megawatt coal unit at Loy Yang in Victoria can fail. Despite the battery being 1,000 km from Loy Yang, it can start to stabilise the grid in under one hundredth of a second and avert a possible grid crash. It can take 4 seconds for an emergency coal generator to respond. The battery will hold the fort until the cavalry arrives. Our coal generators are old and often fail like this with no warning, requiring other generators to immediately step in to replace a large amount of electricity.

(The Tesla big battery’s stunning interventions smooth the transition to a zero-carbon grid: Renew Economy: 1 March 2020)

Discovering the effectiveness of big batteries was revolutionary for the entire world.

Now there are scores of big batteries in Australia. ( See the Renew Economy: Big Battery Storage Map of Australia.) One of them is the Waratah battery in NSW. It’s the most powerful machine ever linked to the Australian grid. Fully charged, it can deliver 850 megawatts for 2 hours. For comparison, the coal-fired Eraring Power Station has 4 generating units, each with a power of 720 Megawatts.

Batteries do more than just store energy. They are a rapid and precise way to control electrical fluctuations on the grid and are now an essential component of our electricity grid.

South Australia is 75% renewable

In 2007, South Australia (SA) generated only 1% of its electricity from renewables. Only 18 years later, in 2025, this was 75%, and it should reach its target of 100% in 2027.

Look at the generation in SA over the last week via the Open Electricity website. Most of the time, solar (yellow) and wind (green) generation dominate.

The state has done this with wind, solar, batteries, gas and a transmission line to Victoria. No coal, nuclear, or hydro. It has avoided blackouts even in dire circumstances. SA has:

  • Reduced expensive gas generation
  • Reduced the state’s wholesale electricity prices: the state did have the highest prices on the East Coast grid for years, but now it often has the lowest.
  • Increased the reliability of its electricity supply

(South Australia averages 100 % wind and solar over a week and 90% over the last 28 days: Renew Economy: 2 Dec 2025)

Export electricity to Singapore via cable

Australian company Sun Cable is planning a submarine transmission line from Darwin to Singapore to supply 20% of Singapore’s electricity. This project will use tried-and-tested technology, but on such a large scale that it could revolutionise global thinking about energy movement.

(The Australia-Asia Power Link: Sun Cable)

Renewables increase Australia’s security

Australia should strive to become a renewable energy superpower in the interests of Australian security. In 2022/23, we paid $61 billion to import fossil fuels. This is foolish! Renewables could provide much of this energy.

Control of energy resources brings political power:

  • The British built their empire on coal.
  • The Americans built their empire on oil.
  • Why are we leaving the Chinese to build an empire on renewable energy?

(China: Beware the green dragon, not the red one, Crispin Hull: March 2018)

Renewables can do it! More progress

Link to another page on Australia’s progress towards renewable energy.

Wind up

We have made enormous strides towards renewable energy, and if we race ahead, we could become a renewable energy superpower.

References

Ross Garnaut (2019) Super-Power: Australia’s low-carbon opportunity: La Trobe University Press

Beyond Zero Emissions (2015) Zero Carbon Australia: Renewable Energy Superpower

The source of the map of wind and solar potential: Beyond Zero Emissions: Renewable Energy Superpower 2015 Report

Loaded 5 August 2021: Updated 9 January 2025