Featured in From the ground up – 04-2024

UP: Vocal community

As the Australian authorities launch rolling tenders for 32 GW of renewables and storage by 2030, it has become clear that some communities, including locals around pv magazine reporter Bella Peacock’s hometown, have not been brought onside. Heated debate on social media and a frenzy stoked by concerns about the impact on the natural environment are throwing up hurdles for renewables development.

By

Bella Peacock

09 Apr 2024

“I couldn’t have anticipated just how furious the debate would be … it was a shocking and scary time” – Yael Stone. | Photo: Hi Neighbour

In the rocky outcrops of Northern Illawarra beaches, an hour’s drive south of Sydney, the same coal seams that drew the attention of Australia’s first European settlers remain visible today. A little further south, in Port Kembla, flames from the long-running steelworks burn through the night, and yet the region’s gum-tree coated escarpment and picturesque …

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