A new report argues that governments will need to increase the benefits to regional communities that host large-scale solar, wind and transmission infrastructure if they want to ensure long-term support for renewable energy.
The authors of the Australia Institute report Renewables and Rural Australia found that although clean energy projects presently enjoy a high level of community support, if the pace and intensity of development are not carefully managed the projects may create conflict with local communities and ultimately delay the energy transformation.
Specifically, it recommends governments increase financial benefits for local communities, target First Nations participation, reduce negative impacts, and coordinate more sustainable economic development beyond the short-term construction and installation phases.
The NSW government is preparing to deliver Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) in the Central-West Orana, New England, South-West, Hunter-Central Coast and Illawarra regions.
More than $100 billion of potential renewable generation and storage investment was identified in the registration of interest phase of the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone earlier this year.
The Newcastle Herald reported in February that the the Central-West Orana REZ had been redesigned to preserve high-quality agricultural land in the Upper Hunter.
As part of the redesign, the majority of the corridor is now located on land owned by mining companies or alongside existing transmission lines
The researchers conducted field trips and interviews in the Central-West Orana and New England REZs.
"The federal government has been instantly thrust into an energy crisis but if it works quickly with state governments to design a fair system for planning and developing REZs it will be the last energy crisis Australia ever has to face," The Australia Institute's Dan Cass said.
University of Sydney Emeritus Professor Linda Connor said the report highlighted that the shift from coal to renewables was also a spatial shift that brought many physical and social changes to regional communities.
"This infrastructure is urgently needed for energy security and to reach zero emissions electricity, but we need to ensure it creates value for hosts," she said.
"An unprecedented level of community participation, social impact assessment, and sustained local benefits is required."
Riikka Heikkinen, a PhD candidate at the University of Technology Sydney, said Australia's shift to renewables would proceed more quickly and ultimately at lower cost if it was better calibrated to share and amplify the economic benefits for the regional communities that will host tens of billions of dollars worth of clean energy investment.
"We have to make sure the communities that are providing us with the path to clean energy security are also communities that are benefiting fairly from the change," she said.
ANU researcher Dr Rebecca Pearse said it was essential that all communities were fairly compensated.
"In many instances regional communities are benefiting greatly from new renewable energy projects, like farmers being paid to host solar farms on relatively unproductive paddocks. But there have also been instances where communities have been disrupted by things like transmission lines being built across private land," she said.
"Regional Australia is doing the country a terrific service by hosting our shift to renewable energy, so we need to make sure those communities have the mechanisms to negotiate beneficial deals for themselves."
