The Australian Wind Alliance is re-launching as RE-Alliance, an independent organisation that will sit at at the intersection of regional Australian communities and the broader renewable energy industry.
After seven years building social licence for wind energy in regional Australia, RE-Alliance’s mission is to take the ideas it has built working with the wind industry to new sectors, such as solar, storage and transmission.
“Social licence will be a critical consideration for all projects in renewable energy zones and we’re keen to play our role in making sure this is achieved,” said RE-Alliance national director Andrew Bray.
The organisation will focus on supporting community engagement in new renewable energy zones, where all renewable energy companies must gain local acceptance and support for their projects to be successful.
“We see real opportunities for projects to coordinate to deliver the best outcomes for the local communities. In fact, not to do so risks a haphazard approach that could threaten acceptance,” Bray said.
“We’re here to make sure that when you live in a renewable energy area, you will see tangible community benefits, such as like high quality jobs and apprenticeships for local people, industry contribution to community initiatives and opportunities for community-ownership of renewables.”
The Australian Wind Alliance has built expertise in benefit sharing and community engagement over many years, Bray said, organising community roundtables, developing citizen-led visions for vital community projects and connecting industry to support these projects and build social license.
“In cases where harmful narratives or misinformation arise, we support myth-busting, education and accurate information sharing,” Bray said.
“We will continue our focus on promoting wind energy, while also increasing our capacity to support all forms of renewable energy projects.
“We intend to work closely with all renewable energy industries to deliver the kind of outcomes regional communities rightfully expect from large scale build outs of energy generation infrastructure in their regions.”
Watch this video to find out more about RE-Alliance.
You can find out more at www.RE-Alliance.org.au