The 50% Moment: How Renewables and Storage shaped the 4th quarter of 2025

AEMO On Air

AEMO On Air
The 50% Moment: How Renewables and Storage shaped the 4th quarter of 2025
Jan 29, 2026 Season 3 Episode 1
Australian Energy Market Operator

Season 3 of AEMO On Air is underway  🎙️ 

In the first episode for 2026, we speak with Kerry Galloway, AEMO’s Manager of Market Insights, about a milestone quarter for Australia’s energy transition following the launch of AEMO’s Q4 2025 Quarterly Energy Dynamics (QED) report.

For the first time ever, renewables and storage supplied more than half of total energy needs across the east and west coast grids in Q4, with WA’s WEM reaching an extraordinary 91% renewable supply at peak. Strong renewable output contributed to lower wholesale prices — while remaining just one of several factors that shape the market.

The episode also explores the continued surge in investment, from grid-scale solar and batteries to rooftop systems on Australian homes. Battery discharge nearly tripled year-on-year in the NEM and jumped around 200% in the WEM, while rooftop solar growth is increasingly influencing daytime demand and minimum operational demand.

Combined with milder conditions than Q4 2024, the quarter highlights sustained momentum and real change in the energy mix.

🗎 Explore the full QED for more insights: https://bit.ly/3LRXQUf

Interviewer: Catie Low

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Episode Artwork The 50% Moment: How Renewables and Storage shaped the 4th quarter of 2025 18:41 Episode Artwork Setting course for 2050: A deep dive into the Draft 2026 Integrated System Plan 22:06 Episode Artwork Stabilising the transition: Inside the 2025 Transition Plan for System Security 27:28 Episode Artwork Why the world envies Australia’s transition plan: A deep dive into what is the ISP 19:44 Episode Artwork Pedalling through change: System Security in a solar-driven grid 30:37 Episode Artwork Inside the numbers: how renewables drove down power prices in Q3 2025 16:59 Episode Artwork From Dublin to Down Under: control rooms, transition points and the future of power system security – a chat with Yvonne Coughlan 24:28 Episode Artwork Reliability outlook improves: the ESOO’s 10-year investment snapshot 20:08 Episode Artwork Building the 2026 ISP: developing a very different Integrated System Plan in 2026 24:30 Episode Artwork Inside Q2 2025’s QED: renewables soar, batteries charge up and emissions fall 18:08 Episode Artwork From solar cell physics to energy security: meet your new host Dr Nij Lal 15:44 Episode Artwork Locational insights for a future NEM: inside the 2025 ELI report 19:11 Episode Artwork Powering WA: challenges, change and the WEM ESOO 26:21 Episode Artwork Record renewables and lower emissions: breaking down Q1 2025 energy trends 20:28 Episode Artwork Energy leaders of the future: a spotlight on the Zema Energy Studies Scholarship 29:21 Episode Artwork Growing the grid: connecting generation and storage 24:20 Episode Artwork Securing our energy grid: AEMOs strategy for power system security 22:51 Episode Artwork QED Q4 insights: warmer weather and electrification causes record underlying demand 20:44 Episode Artwork From university to the energy transition: inside AEMO's Graduate Development Program 24:17 Episode Artwork The critical role of natural gas in WA's energy mix 20:56 Episode Artwork More common than a backyard pool: the rise of rooftop solar in Australia’s energy transition 25:26 Episode Artwork QED Q3 insights: weather's impact, price fluctuations and new capacity growth 23:28 Episode Artwork Operating the power system of the future: Daniel Westerman's speech at the AFR's 2024 Energy and Climate Summit 19:50 Episode Artwork Forecasting reliability: the critical insights from AEMO's 2024 ESOO 19:24 Episode Artwork It's a RAP: AEMO launches first Reconciliation Action Plan 30:49