Bipartisan focus shines on small-scale renewables

The NSW Farmers’ Association has welcomed NSW Labor’s pledge to facilitate over two-gigawatts of small-scale renewables via a solar rebate scheme and the NSW Coalition’s pledge for interest free loans for investments in small-scale battery storage technologies.

Chair of the NSW Farmers Ag Science Committee Dave Mailler  says small farm and community scale renewable resources are the solution to regional NSW’s energy challenges. 

“Small scale renewable resources can slash regional electricity costs by reducing the need for centralised infrastructure, such as poles and wires, which make up more than 50% of our electricity bills,” Mr Mailler says

“These types of projects provide economic benefits for regional and rural communities, create local capacity  and take the power away from large gentailers, who have played their role in rising electricity costs.”

NSW Farmers has highlighted  the disproportionate focus on large-scale renewable projects,  which are increasing in number in rural areas.   

“We do not think that NSW has got the balance right between small-scale and large-scale renewable generation, particularly given rural community concerns around the impact of these large developments in important farming regions” Mr Mailler says. 

“In the end Australia and NSW has a lot of land, and land-use planning provisions should look towards minimising any conflict between large-scale renewable projects and agriculture.”  

“I don’t understand why governments are so quick to promote and subsidise large-scale projects put forward by the large gentailers, who have contributed to the electricity affordability challenge, instead of empowering customers to take their energy destinies in their own hands through small-scale investments.”

Date: Tuesday 19 February 2019
Media Contact:   Michael Burt  | 0428 228 988