It happened briefly on Friday… For half an hour, solar energy eclipsed coal as the leading source of electricity across the national energy market, which includes all states and territories except Western Oz and the Northern Territory. It’s happened before, and before you think we’ve sold you a dud with the headline, here’s the kicker – it’s the first time it has happened under “normal” conditions. That is, there wasn’t a shortage of coal-fired power, and it wasn’t the sunniest time of the year. Solar enthusiasts say it’s a sign of things to come with most of the power coming from rooftop panels, not large-scale solar farms. Another record was broken in Victoria last week, with wind power delivering 69% of Victoria’s electricity demand on Thursday morning.