Outspoken technology billionaire Elon Musk has highlighted a game-changing milestone in Australian solar power generation as he boldly predicted the future of the world’s energy mix.
Musk highlighted the rapid growth of rooftop solar in Western Australia, which on Monday accounted for as much as 80.5 percent of the state’s electricity generation.
As of 1:30 p.m., solar energy production, mainly from rooftop installations, generated a total of 2.12 gigawatts in the region, far exceeding production from traditional energy sources, according to data from the Australian Energy Market Operator.
In contrast, the contribution of natural gas and coal to the electricity grid fell significantly, with shares of only 8.6 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively.
“Solar energy will account for the vast majority of energy generation in the future,” Musk wrote after sharing news of the Western Australia milestone.
As solar power generation surges in WA, the market operator and the state government have signed contracts with battery developers to capture excess solar energy on rooftops during the day and return it to the grid during the evening peak.
Musk’s company, Tesla, is leading the way in accelerating the adoption of solar energy and batteries and is a strong supporter of sustainable energy solutions.
Last year, Musk suggested that if solar energy were harnessed effectively, it could power a civilization 100 times larger than the world’s current population.
Influential technology billionaire Elon Musk was impressed by Western Australia’s solar energy figures
Musk shared a post on
He said that because wind and solar power are not always consistent, it is becoming increasingly important to use stationary battery packs at renewable energy sites to store energy for when it is needed.
Musk made these comments just hours after he was officially appointed by newly elected President Donald Trump to “dismantle” America’s bloated $6.5 trillion bureaucracy by heading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump said the duo will “pave the way for my administration to dismantle the government bureaucracy, eliminate redundant regulations, reduce wasteful spending and restructure federal agencies.”
However, it remains unclear how much influence Musk’s views on clean energy will have under the new Trump administration, with the president-elect promising to increase fossil fuel production and withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement.
“I think we should generally lean toward sustainability,” Musk told Trump during a two-hour livestream chat the two men held on the social platform X in August. “And I actually think that solar energy will account for the majority of energy generation on Earth in the future.”
However, Musk downplayed the urgency of the venture.
“I think we just want to transition and if I don’t know, we’ll be largely sustainable in 50 to 100 years, I think that’ll probably be a good thing,” Musk said. “It’s not like the house will immediately catch fire.”
Musk has also been a proponent of nuclear energy, which produces no greenhouse gases.
“Nuclear energy generation is underestimated,” Musk said during the chat. ‘People are afraid of generating electricity from nuclear energy, but it is actually one of the safest forms of generation.’