The Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) creates a financial incentive for the installation of renewable energy power stations. The target is designed to reduce emissions in the electricity sector and encourage additional generation from sustainable and renewable sources.
Investment in the renewables industry is dependent on the long-term economics of specific projects and is influenced by a range of market factors. Investors make informed decisions by analysing the available market data.
We're providing market information to:
- increase transparency
- track progress towards achieving the 2020 Renewable Energy Target
- provide information about the supply and demand factors that influence the renewable energy target
- drive investments in renewable energy generation technologies
- assist liable entities in complying with the scheme.
Updated data will be published every month.
This data is current as at 31 October 2024.
Progress towards the 2020 Renewable Energy Target
In January 2021 the Renewable Energy Target of 33,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of additional renewable energy was met on a 12-month rolling basis.
In September 2019 we announced enough capacity had been approved to guarantee that the LRET of 33,000 GWh of additional renewable energy was met in 2020.
In 2016, we estimated that for the 2020 target to be reached the total new capacity of renewable energy power projects required to be committed through to the end of 2018 was 6,000 megawatts (MW). Due to a higher proportion of solar projects in the pipeline than expected, we estimated that 6,400 MW would now be required to reach the target.
The Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011 permits us to publish information that is already available to the public in an accessible form. This includes data from the REC Registry and information from other publicly available sources.
Supply data
Every month we publish LRET supply data files to track investment in renewable energy.
These data files provide information about:
- approved power stations
- committed and probable projects
- total large-scale generation certificates (LGC) in the REC Registry.
The number of LGCs held in the REC Registry and the megawatt capacity of approved power stations help participants quantify the level of supply in the market. LGCs held in the REC Registry move between accounts regularly, so registered holdings data should be considered as a guide only.
In 2023, 1.6 GW of capacity reached a final investment decision and has been added to the committed category.
This data is from 1 January 2024 to 31 October 2024.
Matters to note:
- We track public announcements and the above information may not be complete and may change retrospectively. If you see any omissions, contact us.
- From July 2023, the reporting of power station capacity changed from using the accreditation start date to the power station approval date. This will help in reconciling current-year approvals with historical data.
- The approved power station table forms part of the register of accredited power stations and data in this table will be incorporated into the register on a periodic basis.
- The approved power stations table does not include power stations that have been approved prior to 1 January 2024.
Learn about data on power stations accredited before 2024.
Total LGCs and capacity of approved power stations in 2024
| Total LGCs in the REC Registry | MW of approved power stations (since 1 Jan 2024) | Approved power stations (since 1 Jan 2024) | As at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39,914,683 | 3,647 | 446 | 31 October 2024 |
Power stations and projects by status
Approved power stations
Committed power stations
Probable power stations
Total large-scale generation certificates in the REC Registry
This does not include LGC holdings in suspended accounts.
Raw data in CSV format
Total LGCs in the REC Registry_1 (39.96 KB CSV)Total investment in wind and solar generation capacity 2016–2024 (October)
| Year | Utility scale wind and solar FID (MW) | SRES capacity (MW)* | Total (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1,309 | 748 | 2,057 |
| 2017 | 4,019 | 1,119 | 5,138 |
| 2018 | 4,884 | 1,617 | 6,502 |
| 2019 | 2,363 | 2,165 | 4,528 |
| 2020 | 3,295 | 2,965 | 6,260 |
| 2021 | 3,055 | 3,193 | 6,248 |
| 2022 | 4,591 | 2,794 | 7,384 |
| 2023 | 1,673 | 3,134 | 4,808 |
| 2024 (October) | 2,996 | 2,303 | 5,300 |
Notes:
- * Installation data has been used as a proxy for investment under the SRES.
A 12-month creation period for registered persons to create small-scale technology certificates applies under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. The 2023 and 2024 SRES capacity may change. Data is correct as at 31 October 2024.
Historical data
Learn about the supply data for power stations accredited between 2001 and 2023.
Find out more about historical large-scale renewable energy data.