Wind and solar developers are eager to build, landowners have the space, yet too often, deals stall before they even start.
The supply is here, the demand is there, but a clear, fair path of negotiation in-between is still missing.
RELA Connect is the missing piece.
As Australia’s first online marketplace for renewable energy land deals, it levels the playing field, bringing landowners and developers together with transparency, fairness, and a process that finally makes sense to both parties.
Zach McEvoy, Head of Marketplace Delivery from RELA, recently spoke with ecogeneration, and unveiled the company’s ambitious plan optimising the renewable energy transition by providing a transparent, fair and efficient process for land transactions with RELA Connect.
Addressing key challenges
One of the biggest hurdles for developers is entering into land agreements in a timely and efficient manner and with social license. The usual model has developers approaching landowners to seek agreements.
RELA Connect flips the model. Landowners can come forward seeking agreements, where they already understand the opportunities and the constraints – both on their land and with regards to community – and are prepared to engage.
With RELA by their side they have the confidence to go from interested to committed.
“With advanced technology and a structured decision-making process, RELA Connect directly links landowners with quality renewable energy developers, creating a more efficient, transparent, and equitable process,” McEvoy said.
“This significantly reduces delays reaching important decisions points.”
The technology platform provides real-time visibility of available land nationwide. Developers can filter and map potential sites, expanding access to regions and landowners they might not have initially considered.
Building knowledge, facilitating mediation
RELA Connect is revolutionising how land agreements for renewable energy projects are made by fostering education and effective facilitation.
As McEvoy notes, developers often prefer working with informed landowners, as it leads to smoother and faster negotiations.
In this regard, RELA Connect is a game-changer, enabling landowners to gain a solid understanding of the renewable energy potential, including project opportunities, timelines, and potential impacts to their land and neighbours.
Beyond its educational function, RELA Connect plays a crucial role in facilitation.
“By establishing a transparent communication framework, RELA Connect ensures that negotiations move towards fair, mutually beneficial agreements,” McEvoy said.
This is particularly valuable when navigating the complexities of landowner-developer discussions. Developers have frequently praised RELA’s ability to guide these conversations and secure deals that benefit all parties involved.
One of RELA Connect’s key strengths lies in streamlining the land agreement process. Unlike traditional methods, which often starts with cold-calling or doorknocking, RELA Connect attracts willing, motivated landowners who come to the platform with genuine interest in hosting renewable energy projects. With features such as initial desktop assessments of land viability and an emphasis on early integration of farm management plans, RELA Connect facilitates a smoother decision-making process, helping to optimise the coexistence of food and renewable energy production.
This proactive approach ensures that both developers and landowners enter negotiations with a clear understanding of each other’s expectations, significantly reducing the risk of misalignment or friction.
Transparent bidding system
Negotiating land tenancy for renewable energy projects can be a complex and lengthy process, especially when several developers are competing for the same land.
This often leads to confusion and inefficiency for both developers and landowners.
RELA Connect addresses this challenge by offering a structured and transparent bidding system to simplify the process.
This process includes a transparent tender process with clear evaluation criteria, a face-to-face meeting between the shortlisted developers and the landowner, where developers present their proposals, receive feedback, and participate in a question and answer session targeted at finding alignment between the parties, the land and the project.
Ultimately, the landowner selects the developer based on overall alignment against the commercial and legal terms, as well as the developer’s project vision and track record.
RELA Connect also plays a vital role in guiding developers to prepare strong proposals and, supporting landowners evaluate offers and keeping communications flowing between all parties.
“In this way, RELA Connect is reshaping how renewable energy land agreements are established in Australia,” McEvoy said.
“By providing professional support for both landowners and developers, it ensures that projects start on a solid foundation — boosting success rates and accelerating the country’s renewable energy transition.”
For more information, visit rela.com.au
This article featured in the April edition of ecogeneration.
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