South Australia has just elected a new parliament. As we review the 2025 Clean Energy Solutions Index (CESI) data in preparation for the 2026 release (due later this year), the clearest message is this: When it comes to clean energy solutions, South Australians do not look especially polarised, and they do not look especially unusual. They look close to the national average, with the strongest support for the technologies they know best.
On the headline measure, South Australia’s overall clean energy support score was 60 out of 100. That was exactly the same as the national score of 60.
That is an important starting point. South Australia’s energy profile, which leans more heavily on renewables than most other states, means it’s often treated differently in debates about the energy transition, but CESI suggests its voters were not outside the Australian mainstream.
Support is strongest where familiarity is strongest
CESI’s 2025 key national insight was clear: familiarity appears to drive support. Solutions that Australians know better, and have more direct experience with, attracted stronger backing. Less familiar solutions produced more mixed or cautious views.
South Australia fits that pattern closely, with one notable nuance.
Its highest-scoring solutions were:
- Solar panels (84)
- Solar batteries (75)
- Solar farms (73)
- Renewable energy component manufacturing (70)
While the solar results align strongly with the familiarity insights, support for manufacturing may reflect support for the state’s perceived economic opportunity in clean energy as much as familiarity with the solution itself.
The remaining in South Australia were:
- Onshore wind farms (59)
- Green metals industry (59)
- Renewable energy transmission (58)
- Offshore wind farms (53)
- Gas-free industry conversion (49)
- Gas-free home conversion (43)
- Electric vehicles (42)
EVs were a weaker CESI category nationally as well, while the gas results may reflect South Australia’s particular energy mix. The scores for offshore wind, green metals, onshore wind and renewable energy transmission were either in line with or only slightly above the national results.
In South Australia, solar looks established
The clearest example is solar. CESI found South Australians were “notably and consistently more supportive of solar farms” (read more here in the 2025 CESI report) than the national average, and not just on the overall score. That stronger support was visible across all the metrics used to calculate the index score: personal support, perceived community support, whether the solution was seen as good for Australia, and willingness to talk about it positively.
That support also showed up in adoption and consideration.
In South Australia:
- 84% had installed or considered solar panels
- 68% have installed or considered a heat pump
- 67% had installed or considered solar batteries
- 42% had purchased or considered an EV
- 51% had considered an induction stove
The pattern is fairly clear. Where a technology feels visible, established and easier to picture in everyday life, support appears stronger. Where it feels less familiar, support softens.
What the new parliament should take from this
For the new South Australian parliament, the lesson is fairly simple: in South Australia, as nationally, when clean energy feels familiar, support tends to follow.
In South Australia, the clean energy story looks less like a culture war and more like a familiarity test. The closer a solution is to everyday experience, the stronger support seems to be.
That matters because it suggests support is not fixed. As technologies become more visible, more widely used and easier to understand, public backing is likely to deepen.
Source note: Findings are based on the Clean Energy Solutions Index 2025, developed by 89 Degrees East in collaboration with Boundless. For full access to the South Australian data, please visit our publicly available, interactive dashboard
"For the new South Australian parliament, the lesson is fairly simple: in South Australia, as nationally, when clean energy feels familiar, support tends to follow.”
– Dr Rebecca Huntley.
