RE-Alliance

One time we were out of power for five days straight so we were collecting firewood and cooking outside and the nearest running tap to fill buckets was a 15-minute walk each way. That’s Chantelle Johns talking, from Marlinja community in the Northern Territory. The effects of regular disconnection from the local hybrid power station, including food and medicine spoilage and economic, educational, and health impacts, are felt most by Marlinja's elderly and very young, reports Ev Foley with pv magazine Australia. To take control of their power, the First Nations community teamed up with Original Power and this year installed the Marlinja Microgrid -- a 100 kW 5B Maverick solar array, and a 136 kWh GoodWe battery and hybrid inverter. The microgrid is now powering Marlinja’s homes and is the first First Nations-led microgrid in Australia!! You can access the article in the comments. Northern Territory Government Northern Land Council Central Land Council Tiwi Land Council Power and Water Corporation Jacana Energy

We're thrilled to announce that we'll be conducting a policy research project with Charles Sturt University and Macquarie University looking into community participation in decision-making – thanks to a research grant from the James Martin Institute for Public Policy. Led by our Policy and Industry Engagement Director, Bridget R. with Dr. Simon Wright and Dr. Madeline Taylor, the project will identify policy solutions to ensure enduring benefits from clean energy projects are delivered with and for regional communities in NSW. We’ll also be using the project to promote a fairer distribution of wealth in regional areas through creative policy co-design. We thank Professor Libby Hackett and JMI for a warm grant winners reception in Sydney last night, and look forward to working with EnergyCo and other partners in getting started on this project very soon.

Local Energy Hubs made it to Parliament House! ⚡ A delegation of regional leaders calling for Hubs travelled to Canberra yesterday, kindly hosted by Dan Repacholi MP and Dr Helen Haines MP. We're adding urgency to the calls for the federal government to fund Local Energy Hubs - outreach centres that would support regional households, businesses, farms and communities with all aspects of the renewable energy shift. A big thank you to local legends Sally Hunter, Darryl Best, Matthew Parton and David Clark for sharing their experiences today – your voices are powerful. And to the MPs and Senators who attended – let's work together to get Hubs funded! Community Power Agency Friends of the Earth Australia

Most regional and rural Australians want to see renewable energy projects done well. That's what a new report by Porter Novelli Australia and Quantum Market Research has found – and it's also what we know from working on the ground with communities for over a decade. This research shows the impact that ongoing disinformation campaigns have had, with a consensus that less than half (49%) of regional people favour renewable energy projects – when the true level of support is actually much higher (66%) and more than half (57%) said they would support projects in their local area. Read more in the report 'Winds of Change: Regional Australians’ Real Views on Renewables' via the link in comments.

Sheep under solar on the big screen at the All Energy Australia Conference this week where we screened the trailer for our Local Energy Hubs film to set up a passionate conversation about 'social licence' – the first time the issue has made it to the big plenary stage. Our National Director Andrew Bray was joined by a stellar panel – thanks Marla Brauer from WestWind Energy - Australia, Martine Holberton at The Energy Charter and Samantha Johnson from the Electric Vehicle Council for the passionate discussion and for Nicholas Aberle at the Clean Energy Council for guiding them through. At RE-Alliance, an important part of our work is to bring community perspectives to industry spaces, which is why Andrew highlighted the need to back local leaders and fill the information void. #AllEnergyAU

Looking forward to chatting all things social licence at All Energy Australia this week! Our National Director Andrew Bray will be on a panel discussion on social licence, alongside Samantha Johnson (Acting CEO, Electric Vehicle Council), Martine Holberton (Director, Renewables, The Energy Charter) and Marla Brauer (Chief Development Officer, WestWind Energy - Australia). The panel will be moderated by Dr Nicholas Aberle, Director of Energy Generation & Storage, Clean Energy Council. 🔸 Thursday 24 October, 9:40AM 🔸 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre 🔸 Plenary Door 10 Find out more about the session or view the conference program: https://lnkd.in/gMEyH7Kj Hope to see some familiar faces at #AllEnergyAU !

Wallup farmer Simon Tickner says the transmission line on his land only has “really minimal impact” on his farming operations. He doesn't receive any compensation for the line as it was built in the 1970s – but if it was built there now, he says "it'd be worth about a million bucks to us over the next 20 years, if we were paid for that at what the offer rate is. It's pretty attractive frankly for losing 14 10 metre by 10 metre footprints for each tower that we just go around." Watch more at the full film: https://lnkd.in/ggfKw4HW

Wind farms can be good to nature. IdentiFlight is a technology used at Cattle Hill Wind Farm in Tasmania, which the company says has ensured no eagle strikes in the last 15 months. Farmers for Climate Action Australian Conservation Foundation Smart Energy Council

Congratulations to our Director of Policy and Industry Engagement Bridget R. who has joined the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)'s inaugural Consumer and Community Reference Group. We look forward to Bridget bringing vital community perspectives to help inform AEMO's day-to-day work and future planning.

The Queensland Government has released the updated wind planning code, State Code 23, which will require wind farm developers to better manage issues such as soil erosion, site rehabilitation and noise. The State Government has also outlined a plan to implement broader planning reviews for large-scale renewable energy projects to improve community engagement and protect valuable biodiversity. Today’s announcements are a great step in the right direction! We’ve been working hard alongside other environmental groups like Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) to campaign for stronger renewable energy planning laws that will better protect nature and ensure that regional communities benefit from the transition. We’ll continue to prioritise this work ☀️ ✊