Australians value batteries and electric vehicles, but the renewable energy industry must earn the trust of regional communities, according to a new survey and industry summit.
Support for wind and solar drops
The Clean Energy Solutions Index found that levels of 'deep support' for onshore wind and solar farms have dropped from last year. Australians reported receiving more negative than positive messages about windfarms, with organised campaigns proving 'extremely effective' in undermining community support.
Rebecca Huntley, a social trends expert who leads the annual index, said anti-wind campaigns promoted by conservative groups had been 'extremely effective' in undermining community support. 'All that these campaigns need to do is create the perception that other people think [windfarms] are a bad idea,' she said.
Batteries and EVs gain traction
In contrast, enthusiasm for home batteries and rooftop solar remains high, and support for major infrastructure projects like transmission lines is improving. The survey also found a jump in support for electric vehicles, which Huntley attributed to Donald Trump's attack on Iran and the subsequent fuel crisis.
Huntley measured 'deep support' by asking if people personally supported technologies, thought they were good for Australia, were willing to talk positively about them, and how they perceived others' feelings. She noted that Australians tend to overestimate opposition to a clean energy transition, creating a 'perception gap' that undermines support for moving away from coal and gas.
Misperceptions about renewable generation
The index also revealed that people grossly underestimate how much electricity is already generated from renewables. Well over half (62%) of Australians think renewables supply less than 30% of electricity in the main eastern market, but the actual figure is 46%.
Industry calls for national benefit-sharing scheme
At the renewable energy industry's annual summit in Sydney, the Clean Energy Council told the industry it had a 'fundamental problem' with a lack of trust in regional and rural communities. The council called for a nationwide legislated scheme for local councils to receive money from renewables companies for every megawatt hour of electricity generated by projects over their lifetime.
Jackie Trad, chief executive of the Clean Energy Council, said: 'The fundamental problem this industry has is trust. We do not have enough of it in the places where we build – regional and rural Australia. Our intentions are sincere. Our product is clean. But go looking for the research that says regional communities trust the renewable energy industry, and you will not find it. It does not exist. And in this business, what communities believe determines what gets built.'
Trad said the current 'patchwork of community benefit funds, grants and negotiated payments' needed to be replaced with a national legislated scheme. 'Regional Australia is being asked to host the machinery of our energy security. The least we can do is make sure the towns that host it share squarely in the wealth it creates,' she added.
Lessons from past resource booms
Huntley said renewables companies should look back at previous resource booms such as coal, gas and gold that helped build community infrastructure. 'The question the industry needs to ask is: in 50 years as Australians wander around renewable energy zones, what can they point to that was built off the back of wind turbines?' she said.
