Malcolm Turnbull says he wants to stay out of the politics of Australia's energy challenge and focus on the engineering and economics.
But the prime minister has taken another swipe at South Australia's push to increase its supply of renewable energy, again describing it as "idiocy".
"They overlooked the fact that the wind doesn't blow all the time and the sun doesn't shine all the time and while renewable power is fantastic and I'm a great fan ... it doesn't provide continuous generation," he told Adelaide radio Mix 102.3 on Thursday.
"The bottom line is, it's a combination of not just left-wing ideology and politics, it's also idiocy.
"Clearly, if you've got a wind farm and you want that to generate your electricity, you've got to ask the question what happens when the wind doesn't blow."
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Mr Turnbull was similarly critical of SA's energy policies last month in a speech to the Liberal Party's annual meeting in Adelaide.
His comments on Thursday came in response to a recorded question put to him by South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, who asked if he would apologise for blaming renewables for last year's statewide blackout.
Mr Weatherill said the federal government's own agencies had affirmed that the blackout had nothing to do with renewables.
Mr Turnbull said his government was being very "methodical and businesslike" in regard to the energy challenge facing Australia.
"My goal is to ensure that we have affordable and reliable energy," he said.
"I'd rather stay out of the politics and focus on the engineering and economics."
