Australia is on the cusp of building more renewable infrastructure in the next decade than in the previous three combined, but the way we build it could make or break regional communities. One of the biggest challenges isn’t turbines or a transmission towers, it’s housing: where will thousands of construction workers live in towns already in a housing crisis. A new report from RE-Alliance argues worker accommodation doesn’t have to be a burden — it can become an important community benefit that a project leaves behind. From refurbishing disused aged-care homes in Wellington, to turning workforce villages into future suburbs in Rockhampton and Gracemere, to councils like Uralla planning for housing long before the workers arrive, there’s a shift happening in how some developers think about construction. RE-Alliance’s national director, Andrew Bray, discusses how the energy transition can bring a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
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Australia is on the cusp of building more renewable infrastructure in the next decade than in the previous three combined, but the way we build it could make or break regional communities. One of the biggest challenges isn’t turbines or a transmission towers, it’s housing: where will thousands of construction workers live in towns already in a housing crisis. A new report from RE-Alliance argues worker accommodation doesn’t have to be a burden — it can become an important community benefit that a project leaves behind. From refurbishing disused aged-care homes in Wellington, to turning workforce villages into future suburbs in Rockhampton and Gracemere, to councils like Uralla planning for housing long before the workers arrive, there’s a shift happening in how some developers think about construction. RE-Alliance’s national director, Andrew Bray, discusses how the energy transition can bring a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
The bold trial challenging ‘poles and wires’ thinking
SwitchedOn Australia
34 minutes 31 seconds
3 months ago
The bold trial challenging ‘poles and wires’ thinking
Australia’s electricity system was designed around a centralised model, where generators, networks and retailers stay in their own tightly regulated 'swim lanes.' But with the rise of rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles, integrating decentralised energy is proving a major challenge. Ausgrid, the country’s largest electricity distributor, has proposed a bold pilot to turn unused commercial rooftops into solar hubs, link them with community batteries, and share that power with 32,000 households, including renters and apartment dwellers who can’t access solar. The model could potentially lower bills, reduce network costs, reduce the amount of new transmission that’s needed, and make the system fairer. Critics, however, warn that allowing networks to move into generation and storage could stifle competition, raising big questions about who should deliver local power and how to balance innovation with consumer fairness. Marc England, the CEO of Ausgrid, puts the case for embracing opportunities that are currently being missed.
SwitchedOn Australia
Australia is on the cusp of building more renewable infrastructure in the next decade than in the previous three combined, but the way we build it could make or break regional communities. One of the biggest challenges isn’t turbines or a transmission towers, it’s housing: where will thousands of construction workers live in towns already in a housing crisis. A new report from RE-Alliance argues worker accommodation doesn’t have to be a burden — it can become an important community benefit that a project leaves behind. From refurbishing disused aged-care homes in Wellington, to turning workforce villages into future suburbs in Rockhampton and Gracemere, to councils like Uralla planning for housing long before the workers arrive, there’s a shift happening in how some developers think about construction. RE-Alliance’s national director, Andrew Bray, discusses how the energy transition can bring a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
