Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia
Australia: Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal was 95.32 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
95.32 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 14.9%
World rank
9th
of 212 countries
All-time high
95.32 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
0 terawatt-hours
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia stood at 95.32 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.9% on the previous year and up 428.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia peaked at 95.32 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1990.
That places Australia 9th out of 212 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0.0054 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1992 | 0.0121 terawatt-hours | +122.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0166 terawatt-hours | +37.2% |
| 1994 | 0.0229 terawatt-hours | +38.0% |
| 1995 | 0.0282 terawatt-hours | +22.9% |
| 1996 | 0.0326 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 1997 | 0.0382 terawatt-hours | +17.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0536 terawatt-hours | +40.5% |
| 1999 | 0.0836 terawatt-hours | +56.0% |
| 2000 | 0.18 terawatt-hours | +115.3% |
| 2001 | 0.34 terawatt-hours | +88.9% |
| 2002 | 0.59 terawatt-hours | +73.5% |
| 2003 | 0.76 terawatt-hours | +28.8% |
| 2004 | 0.87 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 2005 | 1.38 terawatt-hours | +58.6% |
| 2006 | 2.26 terawatt-hours | +63.8% |
| 2007 | 2.96 terawatt-hours | +31.0% |
| 2008 | 3.6 terawatt-hours | +21.6% |
| 2009 | 4.73 terawatt-hours | +31.4% |
| 2010 | 5.97 terawatt-hours | +26.2% |
| 2011 | 8.47 terawatt-hours | +41.9% |
| 2012 | 10.13 terawatt-hours | +19.6% |
| 2013 | 13.11 terawatt-hours | +29.4% |
| 2014 | 14.73 terawatt-hours | +12.4% |
| 2015 | 18.03 terawatt-hours | +22.4% |
| 2016 | 20.48 terawatt-hours | +13.6% |
| 2017 | 22.13 terawatt-hours | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 28.59 terawatt-hours | +29.2% |
| 2019 | 37.77 terawatt-hours | +32.1% |
| 2020 | 46.45 terawatt-hours | +23.0% |
| 2021 | 57.99 terawatt-hours | +24.8% |
| 2022 | 67.59 terawatt-hours | +16.6% |
| 2023 | 76.86 terawatt-hours | +13.7% |
| 2024 | 82.95 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 2025 | 95.32 terawatt-hours | +14.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 95.32 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.15 terawatt-hours, 44.3× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Australia's 95.32 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.12 terawatt-hours, 794.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0293 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.0836 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.77 terawatt-hours | 0.18 terawatt-hours | 4.73 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.94 terawatt-hours | 5.97 terawatt-hours | 37.77 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.19 terawatt-hours | 46.45 terawatt-hours | 95.32 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia?
- Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Australia was 95.32 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 95.32 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 212 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 428.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.