In the period from September 2024 to August 2025, Australia's electricity consumption was primarily divided between fossil and low-carbon sources. Fossil energy, which includes coal and natural gas, contributed to more than half of electricity generation, with coal alone accounting for 45% and gas adding roughly 13%. On the other hand, clean energy sources, making up over 41% of total generation, demonstrated significant progress in the green energy landscape. Among these, solar power was the most prominent, generating about 21% of electricity, followed closely by wind at 14%. Hydropower also played a role, albeit smaller, contributing almost 5% to the clean energy mix. These figures highlight the steady progress towards diversifying Australia's electricity sources by increasing the share of low-carbon energies.
Is Electricity Growing in Australia?
Despite these positive developments, overall electricity consumption in Australia has seen a decline compared to previous records. In 2025, consumption stood at approximately 9800 kWh per person, marking a significant decrease from the historic peak of 11,600 kWh per person in 2007. This represents a drop of more than 1800 kWh per person. However, there is encouraging news in the realm of low-carbon electricity generation, which rose to 4035 kWh per person in 2025, showing an increase of over 300 kWh from the year before. This rise in clean electricity generation is a promising sign that Australia is making strides in its commitment to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing sustainable energy production.
Suggestions
To expand low-carbon electricity generation further, Australia can focus on scaling up its successful solar and wind energy sectors. With the country already deriving significant electricity from these sources, further investment and development can accelerate the transition to a cleaner grid. Additionally, Australia can look towards geographically similar regions that have achieved success with low-carbon energy. For instance, Denmark and states like Iowa and South Dakota in the United States have achieved over 60% of their electricity from wind, while Uruguay also demonstrates impressive wind generation. Furthermore, countries such as France and Slovakia showcase the potential of nuclear energy, with each drawing more than 60% of their electricity from nuclear sources. By learning from these examples, Australia can consider diversifying its low-carbon portfolio to include nuclear energy, alongside enhancing its solar and wind capacities, to secure a sustainable and reliable energy future.
History
Examining the history of low-carbon electricity in Australia, solar and wind have seen consistent growth over recent years. In the late 2010s and 2020s, solar power exhibited remarkable expansion with successive annual increases, notably jumping by 7.5 TWh in 2023. Concurrently, wind energy followed a positive trend, with substantial increments observed in 2019 and 2025 by over 3 and 5 TWh respectively. On the other hand, hydropower has seen fluctuating changes, with notable decreases in 2014 and 2017 which were offset somewhat by increases in subsequent years. This overall pattern reflects an encouraging embrace of sustainable energy in Australia which aligns with global moves towards green energy, though continued dedication and possibly new ventures, such as nuclear, are necessary to maintain and accelerate this momentum toward a cleaner electricity future.
Electrification
We estimate the degree of electrification by comparing electricity and total energy emissions. More about methodology.