Goulburn farmer Ed Suttle and Crookwell farmer Dimity Taylor have joined a huge cross section of regional Australia living in the thick of our shift to renewable energy who have come together as part of a new film series.
Ed and Dimity join former farmers, parents, community leaders and former Councillors to deliver frank and optimistic perspectives that highlight what regional Australia can be gaining from the energy shift.
In two episodes, Ed shares the moving story of the Goulburn community coming together to invest in the Goulburn Solar Farm, while Dimity speaks to her direct experience of living and farming as a direct neighbour to a wind farm.
Goulburn farmer Ed Suttle said: "The community support for the Goulburn Solar Farm shows that we are a forward-thinking 'we can do it' type of community. We love the fact that nearly all the profit will stay within the community because it's local. It's local people who own the shares, so the profit will stay here."
Crookwell farmer Dimity Taylor: "For people who are going to have renewables coming to their communities, I say welcome it, and get involved. Communicate with the companies that are coming and really think about how you can maximise the benefits for your community. Think about how they can be good community partners, and what can they bring that's really going to help your community to flourish?
Submissions to the Australian Senate's Select Committee Inquiry on Energy Planning and Regulation close at the end of this week (18 October) and the regional stories in this film series have been profiled in a joint submission because they clearly articulate a range of issues for the Select Committee to consider, such as:
How can traditional energy regions continue supplying power to our country via offshore wind?
How can communities benefit from hosting large scale renewable infrastructure like wind and solar farms?
How can communities own large scale renewables themselves?
How can regional communities reliant on heavy industry be powered by offshore wind?
Farmers have farmed with transmission for decades - what can we learn?
What are the pros and cons of living next door to a wind farm?
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray said: "What these five films show is that communities hosting renewable energy urgently need local support to engage directly with Australia's energy shift."
One solution being called for is for the Federal Government to fund Local Energy Hubs for regional communities in the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Local Energy Hubs would provide easy access to facts in local communities by hiring trusted and experienced local experts across subjects such as renewable energy developments, transmission projects, home electrification and battery storage, electric vehicles and more, tailored to the region.
