South Australian Wind

I read some great stats about wind power in the state of South Australia this past week.

• On Wednesday, 55% of the state's power came from wind farms
  
• At one point on Monday, a record 85.5% of the power was wind
  
• In 2011/12 wind provided 24.2% of the year's energy
  
• Coal use dropped 9% during that year
  
• Over 5 years, South Australia has cut emissions by 27.4%

The Clean Energy Council points out 3 good outcomes from this.

1. Proof that renewables can generate serious amounts of power.
2. Being ahead of Australia's renewable energy target provides extra income for locals (particularly in regional areas).
3. It means South Australian's pay a smaller carbon price than Australians in other states.

Hopefully other Australian states can learn from SA's example.