Jul 10, 2026 – 11.54amAustralia’s renewable energy revolution may be premised on the demise of coal power generation, but for now at least, it is reliant upon it. When the wind stops blowing and the sun stops shining, the coal plants keep going.So on Wednesday night, as prices spiked during an unusually windless evening demand peak, unexpectedly low output from Victoria’s two biggest coal generators had energy experts scratching their heads.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles