Should farmers push for wind turbines and solar arrays on their land?

But NSW Farmers says investment in collaborative, mid-scale generation for local usage is a better prospect for landholders than pushing for wind turbines and solar arrays on their land.

This month’s Climate Council report On the Frontline: Climate Change and Rural Communities spruiked the financial and social benefits for regional communities that embrace renewable energy investment and host infrastructure on farm land.

The report said armers and rural landowners who leased their land for wind turbines were said to benefit from lease payments of around $10,000 per turbine per year.

But NSW Farmers research and innovation general manager David Eyre sees far greater benefits from investment in mid scale renewable generation capacity for local usage.  

“Ultimately farmers are in the business of food and fibre production, not commercial energy supply,” said Mr Eyre.

“We advise farmers to treat energy as a productivity issue and to focus on solutions that genuinely contribute to the efficiency of their production system.

“With regard to hosting utilities, (farmers should) carefully consider the consequences for their business operations, land value and relationship with neighbours.” 

Mr Eyre said investment in community or other collaborative local generation could be an effective way to achieve energy self-sufficiency, particularly for producers with highly seasonal peak loads.  

“Achieving a clean energy future is not as simple as swapping out the energy source. We need to think ‘clean energy supply’ not just renewable generation,” he said. 

“For example, clean energy funding could be allocated to kick start advanced food and fibre production precincts in developing centres such as Albury, Griffith, Tamworth and Badgerys Creek in Western Sydney.

“Such precincts, if properly planned, could have zero environmental footprints, generating their own energy and recycling all waste and water.  

“Likewise, mid scale solar infrastructure, shared peer-to-peer with local government and other industry under load shifting agreements offers great potential to increase the energy productivity of irrigation districts.

“Significant opportunities for solar are also emerging for irrigators at district scale, and for intensive producers in the bioenergy space at enterprise and collaborative scale.”