Farmers and local councils now have access to a new toolkit designed to answer a growing question in many parts of regional Australia—what happens when renewable energy projects reach the end of their life? And who is responsible for which decommissioning tasks?
Released today by Renewable Energy Alliance (RE-Alliance), the toolkit lays out in simple terms the options available when solar, wind or battery installations age out of operation. These include refurbishing or replacing equipment, or full decommissioning and site rehabilitation.
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray said now is the right time to have this conversation, as many renewable installations have already been operating for decades.
“After nearly 40 years, some of the earliest projects are approaching retirement age, with more set to follow in the coming years. This presents an important opportunity for Australia to consider how we manage the next chapter,” Mr Bray said.
The toolkit walks users through three possible paths:
- Refurbishment, which involves replacing worn-out parts to extend the project’s lifespan
- Repowering, which means upgrading all equipment with newer and more efficient technology, possibly including storage
- Decommissioning, which covers dismantling and removing equipment, then returning the land to its previous use as agreed with the landholder
Farmers who’ve already hosted renewable infrastructure are welcoming the resource.
Tom Gunthorpe, a mixed livestock and wool producer from Kangiara in NSW, is a host to nine wind turbines and helped negotiate a decommissioning fund for his property. He said having a clear plan for the future matters.
“Our decommissioning fund provides peace of mind to eliminate any financial exposure to the landholders, however it’s going to be a long time before these things will be dismantled. We’ve got infrastructure here that could last a hundred years with correct maintenance and an upgrade path,” Mr Gunthorpe said.
“I strongly believe that where existing projects have been built and accepted by the community and have the surrounding infrastructure in place, lets leverage off this for the future rather than starting from scratch again,” he said.
In Victoria, Wimmera Southern Mallee farmer Craig Henderson said the toolkit helps cut through uncertainty.
“We’ve got a lot of renewable energy development happening in our region and there’s confusing information flying around. As a potential wind farm host, I’d like to see this kind of thing sitting in newsagents and post offices and pubs all over the country so people can get the facts,” Mr Henderson said.
RE-Alliance has worked with regional communities for over a decade and says this resource is part of a bigger effort to ensure locals have the tools they need to make informed decisions.
“We created this toolkit because as interest in renewables continues to grow, communities and landholders want to know what happens when a project reaches retirement age,” said Mr Bray.
“This infrastructure becomes part of their landscape and livelihoods for decades, and locals want clear information about what will happen when the project’s life ends.”
