Transitioning rural communities to renewables

By REBECCA DAVIES

What do Western Australia’s agricultural communities look like with a focus on renewable energy and sustainability? 

That was the topic of discussion for the first group of panelists at AgZero’s forum - The Power Shift: Transitioning Farm Communities to Renewables. 

Facilitated by AgZero Chairman Simon Wallwork, the discussion drew on the expertise of a range of panelists from around the State including Future Smart Strategies managing Director Professor Ray Wills, Curtin University Energy Humanities Lead Professor Petra Tschakert, Australian Electric Vehicle Association President Chris Jones, Country Wide Insurance Brokers Account Manager Hamish Maclean and Sunwise Energy Chief Executive Officer Glen Holland. 

Wasting not a moment of the morning panel, Prof Wills said WA simply needed to get on with the “electrification of the whole of farm”.

“In global terms, it's exciting, this is the decade we're all going to change,” Prof Wills said.

“We can do it easily with the house and with the outbuildings, we can do it a little bit more easily with electrification of vehicles, and we're seeing that start to come to the fore - but we're not talking about the future yet, we're talking about what's available now. 

“If you really want to come into it now, you can get out there and do it, you can find a supply and get your electric tractor and you can get an electric kit, but it’s maybe not the full choice that you want.”

While all the panelists acknowledged the effort and cost of making that happen, Prof Wills argued electrification of a farm’s entire fleet would not only save farmers money in the long run, but also use half the power of diesel-run equipment. 

That kind of technology - and new technologies in the energy space - were at the center of the discussion which unpacked the tangible changes and the risks, as well as the work that is being done to tackle accessibility issues for the regions. 

When it comes to accessibility in his area of expertise, Mr Jones pointed to inroads made by the WA Government in bringing the electric vehicle network to life around the entire State. 

He said while there was obviously a way to go in giving regional residents the best service possible, things looked promising for the future. 

Bringing an academic perspective to the panel, Curtin’s Prof Tschakert had a lot of valuable information to share. 

Most importantly, she urged people to remember that energy transitions were “not just about technology”. 

Speaking more broadly about that, Prof Tschakert said to a large extent the transitions were about social issues and political issues which also needed to be tackled. 

Speaking after the forum, Mr Wallwork said it was a valuable exercise to bring a range of voices together as part of the two panel discussions held on the day. 

He said while panelists didn’t have all the answers about what a farm of the future - or a wholly renewable and sustainable regional community - looked like, bouncing ideas around was an important part of the process to get there. 

“We were lucky to bring such a diverse range of speakers and ideas together in one room to focus on our mission to support the Western Australian agriculture sector to become carbon neutral by 2030,” Mr Wallwork said. 

“I’m certain the discussion prompted listeners to think a bit deeper about their role in that change and areas in which we all need to come together to push for regional and rural communities to be as high on the agenda as the metro area.”s. 

If you’re interested in looking back at any of the presentations from the forum, you can view them here.