As fuel prices remain high and Australia pushes toward net zero, wind and solar farms are reshaping regional landscapes — but not everyone is on board.
SBS World News reporter Alexandra Jones travels to Dubbo in New South Wales’ Central West — the state’s first Renewable Energy Zone — to hear from the farmers, landowners, First Nations groups and community co-operatives on the frontline of Australia’s clean energy transition.
From an agrisolar farm running under 64,000 solar panels, to a landmark community-owned solar project breaking ground in Orange, to a local Aboriginal Land Council securing a stake in a major battery project — the benefits are real. But so are the concerns, with some landowners reporting plummeting property values and calls for better community consultation growing louder.
A NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Renewable Energy Zones has recommended mental health support for affected communities, while researchers say First Nations land holders could unlock up to 18 times more solar and 22 times more wind energy if outstanding land claims were resolved.
Australia’s renewable energy transition is well underway — but who really wins?
🔎 In this video:
• Agrisolar farming in Dubbo and Orange, NSW
• Australia’s Renewable Energy Zones explained
• The Yiray Clean Energy Park — Australia’s largest community co-owned solar farm
• First Nations equity in clean energy projects
• Property value concerns for neighbouring landowners
• NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into REZs
• Community power cooperatives in regional Australia
#RenewableEnergy #SolarFarm #Australia #CleanEnergy #NetZero #NSW
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