Australia switched on more big batteries in six months than in all of last year — 7.1 gigawatt-hours of stored sunshine

Australia's clean-energy build-out just had its biggest half-year yet. The Clean Energy Council reports nine giant batteries totalling 2.3 gigawatts and 7.1 gigawatt-hours were switched on in the first half of 2026 — more storage than in all of 2025 — while twelve new generation projects totalling 2.6 gigawatts reached the financing milestone that means they will actually get built. Eleven of the twelve are solar or solar-plus-storage, led by the 690-megawatt Turner River Solar Hub in Western Australia. Batteries matter because they let the midday sun light the evening.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: infrastructure build