Renewable Energy & Rural Australia

Public conversations around renewable energy are often dominated by headlines, politics and misinformation.

This article was prompted by a social media post shared with me criticising solar developments in the countryside based largely on non-recyclable packaging waste associated with solar panel delivery:
https://x.com/benonwine/status/1918035165420438010

The conversation highlighted how easily broader renewable energy discussions can become disconnected from the realities occurring across regional communities, agriculture and long-term energy planning.

During my time working within the renewable energy sector at EnergyCo NSW, I observed firsthand how many farmers, regional communities and industry leaders were not simply adapting to renewable energy infrastructure — they were actively innovating alongside it and one of the strongest examples of this is agrivoltaics.

What Is Agrivoltaics?

Agrivoltaics refers to the integration of solar energy infrastructure with agricultural activity on the same land, rather than replacing farming. Many projects are demonstrating how renewable energy and agriculture can coexist productively, and examples include:
• sheep grazing beneath solar panels
• hybrid irrigation systems
• improved pasture resilience
• reduced operational costs
• diversified income streams for farmers

Across regional Australia, many landholders are increasingly viewing renewable energy not as a threat to agriculture, but as an additional layer of resilience in an increasingly unpredictable climate and economic environment.

The Reality on the Ground

Several renewable energy projects across Australia have demonstrated positive agricultural outcomes through thoughtful design and land management.

Farmers for Climate Action has highlighted examples where sheep grazing operations continue successfully alongside solar developments, with livestock benefiting from shade and shelter while maintaining productive farmland use. At the same time, some farming operations are integrating solar-powered irrigation systems to reduce diesel dependence and manage rising operational costs.

Industry leaders such as Karin Stark in Narromine have also demonstrated how solar and agriculture can work together through hybrid irrigation systems and adaptive farming practices, these approaches reflect a broader shift toward:
• energy resilience
• climate adaptation
• diversified farming models
• long-term sustainability

Further Reading:
Farmers for Climate Action https://farmersforclimateaction.org.au/

The Environmental Conversation

Criticism of renewable energy projects often focuses on isolated issues while overlooking broader environmental outcomes.

Solar panels generally operate for 25 years or more and can offset manufacturing emissions within only a few years of operation, at the same time, renewable energy industries continue investing in:
• recycling technologies
• circular economy strategies
• improved manufacturing processes
• waste reduction initiatives

Today, up to 95% of solar panel materials can be recovered and recycled through evolving recycling systems and circular economy initiatives.

Conversations around renewable infrastructure should consider full lifecycle impacts rather than isolated components of project delivery. Rejecting renewable energy because of packaging waste ignores the far broader environmental, economic and long-term energy benefits these systems provide.

It’s Also About Communities

What stood out most to me while working in the energy transition space was not only the infrastructure itself but also the people behind it. Across regional Australia, renewable energy is contributing to conversations around:
• regional resilience
• future industries
• local employment
• agricultural diversification
• energy affordability
• long-term sustainability

The renewable transition is not simply an environmental discussion, it is also a conversation about:
• communities
• livelihoods
• adaptation
• opportunity
• future regional economies

Why It Matters

Australia’s renewable energy transition will continue reshaping regional landscapes over the coming decades. Like all major infrastructure transitions, there will be challenges, competing perspectives and evolving community expectations; however, dismissing renewable energy entirely overlooks the significant opportunities many regional communities are already exploring through innovation, collaboration and long-term planning.

Renewable energy and agriculture do not need to exist in opposition; when planned thoughtfully, they can work together to help support a more resilient, sustainable and economically diverse future.

Written by Tarnia Riggs.

Disclaimer: Energy 101 is an educational series designed to explain complex energy and infrastructure topics in plain English. It is intended to improve public understanding and should not be interpreted as policy, investment, engineering or legal advice.

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