A new toolkit provides regional communities with information on renewable projects reaching retirement age. Farmer Tom Gunthorpe is pictured.
Photo by
RE-Alliance
A new toolkit has been launched to help regional communities plan and prepare for when renewable energy projects reach the end of their life.
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Created by the Australian Renewable Energy Alliance, or RE-Alliance, the toolkit provides clear, factual information for landholders, townships and councils.
According to RE-Alliance, there are three options when a renewable project approaches retirement age: refurbishment, repowering and decommissioning.
Refurbishment extends a project’s life by replacing worn components, while repowering involves complete replacement with newer, more efficient technology.
Decommissioning sees projects dismantled and removed from a property, along with rehabilitation of the site.
Fifth-generation Wimmera Southern Mallee farmer Craig Henderson said the toolkit was a valuable resource for farmers thinking about hosting wind, solar or battery projects.
Craig Henderson is a Victorian farmer who supports the RE-Alliance toolkit.
Photo by
RE-Alliance
“We’ve got a lot of renewable energy development happening in our region, and there’s confusing information flying around,” he said.
“As a potential wind farm host, I’d like to see this kind of thing sitting in newsagents and post offices and pubs all over the country, so people can get the facts.”
RE-Alliance national director Andrew Bray said the toolkit was needed now, as renewable energy had been in use for decades.
“After nearly 40 years, some of the earliest projects are approaching retirement age, with more set to follow in the coming years,” he said.
“This presents an important opportunity for Australia to consider how we manage the next chapter.”
RE-Alliance is an independent not-for-profit group that has been working for more than a decade with regional communities at the centre of the shift to renewables.
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