Blog
Wind, solar + storage cheaper than gas and coal
May 15, 2017
Incredible falls in the cost of renewables have continued this year, making a strong transition to clean energy a no-brainer. The cost of wind and solar energy has fallen so much they are now...
Read MoreResidents speak out against government push to cut size of wind farm by a quarter
March 30, 2017
Media Release: 30th March 2017 A Planning Assessment Commission public meeting on Thursday heard from local residents about the benefits that will be delivered if the Rye Park Wind Farm is approved. The public meeting...
Read MoreFinal AEMO report sparks call for energy system overhaul
March 28, 2017
Media Release: 28th March 2017 An overhaul of the entire energy system is drastically needed with today's AEMO report confirming failures across South Australia during wild storms in September last year. Australian Wind Alliance...
Read More'We did this together'
March 22, 2017
Søren Hermansen, a farmer and community energy expert from a small Danish island, has been travelling around Australia speaking with communities about how to switch to 100% renewable energy. The Australian Wind Alliance’s Andrew...
Read More"Let me show you how to go 100% renewable energy"
March 10, 2017
Originally published in Ecogeneration 10th March 2017 A Danish island has converted to 100% renewable energy thanks to the tenacity and good humour of a local farmer. As a lump of coal passed from...
Read MoreDoubling down on coal
February 09, 2017
After a week of energy policy talk dominated by the Turnbull government’s outspoken support for new coal power generation for Australia, the independent energy research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance has joined the growing chorus of...
Read MoreCoal-fired power options too risky
February 08, 2017
Originally published in the Newcastle Herald 8th February 2017 Security – it’s the new political buzzword. Our politicians are promising to keep us safe at our borders, securing us in jobs and now, apparently shoring...
Read MoreHepburn Wind: Community Energy at its best
February 02, 2017
Nestled in the foothills of the Macedon Ranges in Central Victoria is the town of Daylesford. Famous for it’s mineral water, cellar doors and artsy galleries, the town is also famous as the home...
Read MoreMurra Warra Wind Farm ready to blow
December 15, 2016
Check out Australian Wind Alliance National Co-ordinator, Andrew Bray’s Video of his recent trip to the Wimmera Plain and his published Opinion Piece.In Victoria’s dryland farming region south of the Mallee scrub and east of the South...
Read MoreMore power to communities embracing wind farms
December 14, 2016
An Edited version of this Op Ed was published in The Weekly TimesA hundred metres above the flat, dry grain country of the Wimmera Plains in Western Victoria the wind blows strongly. Last week the...
Read MoreAustralia’s "climate wars" a threat to renewables
December 09, 2016
The shambolic government display this week makes it look as if the ‘climate wars’ that have gridlocked Australian politics and hobbled climate action for at least a decade haven’t gone away. And again, wind...
Read MoreVictorian Minister speaks to AWA members
November 25, 2016
Earlier this week, a crowd of Australian Wind Alliance members and supporters were treated to an exclusive ‘on the couch’ session with Victoria’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio. Minister D’Ambrosio...
Read MoreWhile Turnbull dithers on coal, wind powers on!
October 27, 2016
The PM re-opened the discussion on coal power this week with some pretty bullish comments.While in Brisbane, the PM declared coal will be part of Australia’s energy mix for “many, many, many decades to...
Read MoreCommunities must be central to energy revolution
October 16, 2016
Ever thought of building a power plant with your next door neighbours? While people think about large-scale wind farms and household solar, when it comes to clean energy, community groups have been quietly banding together...
Read MoreSouth Australia's Blackout - The Facts
September 29, 2016
The facts about the South Australian Blackout What happened in South Australia on Wednesday 28th September? A one-in-50 year weather event hit South Australia with severe thunderstorms and damaging winds exceeding 90 km/h. Hail the...
Read MoreSave ARENA!
September 07, 2016
There are so many reasons that the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, or ARENA, should have a bigger and stronger role in building Australia's clean energy future. But instead, the government wants to cut $1.3...
Read MoreWind farm vision fires up COAG rally
August 22, 2016
AWA member and wind farm neighbour Dimity Taylor joined an inspiring line up of speakers at a snap rally in front of the COAG meeting last Friday. Organised by Friends of the Earth, the...
Read MoreUnprecedented support for Rye Park Wind Farm
July 22, 2016
When Planning Departments put projects out into the public domain, they expect to hear mostly from objectors. Not a bundle of laughs, but pretty much what they’ve come to expect. When the first public...
Read MoreHow much power does a wind farm make?
June 07, 2016
- Andrew Bray, RE-Alliance National Director While the scale of the power that wind farms generate is not always clear, they're probably producing more than you'd think. A friend recently had someone say to...
Read MoreBarnaby hops on board
April 08, 2016
Given the jobs and income that wind farms deliver for rural Australia, it's been a bit of a mystery that wind hasn't enjoyed more support from the 'party of the bush', the Nationals. With...
Read MoreWind turbines up close? Hearing is believing!
March 15, 2016
A group of around 25 community members from the Yass and Goulburn regions took part in a wind farm tour organised by the Australian Wind Alliance. A wide cross section of the local community...
Read MoreCall for others to follow ACT's lead on wind
March 04, 2016
Farmers and regional communities call for others to follow ACT's lead on wind 4th March 2016 It’s time for state and territory governments to step up support of large-scale renewable energy projects in Australia,...
Read MoreMembers give Minister the heads up on support for wind
February 24, 2016
AWA members and farmers, Linda and Paul Cavanagh and I travelled to Queanbeyan on Monday to meet with NSW Minister and local member for Monaro, John Barilaro. As Mr Barilaro is the Minister for...
Read MoreNew England ready for wind
February 16, 2016
With three wind farm projects on New England’s regional development horizon for over a decade now - White Rock, Sapphire and Glen Innes - the region’s community and business leaders are more than ready...
Read MoreIs the Wind Farm Commissioner on mission creep?
February 09, 2016
Is the Wind Farm Commissioner on mission creep? The Australian Wind Alliance has called on the country’s Wind Commissioner to protect its independence and ensure it isn’t used as a tool to block development....
Read MoreSupporters meet up to talk wind
December 03, 2015
One of the areas in Australia likely to see significant wind farm construction in coming years is the Southern Tablelands area of NSW around Yass and Goulburn. There are at least eight advanced wind...
Read MoreA career shifts from coal to wind
September 03, 2015
With the mining boom now at an end, Australia is grappling with a sharp jobs contraction in the coal, gas and resources sectors. As thousands of workers contemplate their futures, many of those in...
Read MoreSenate Inquiry’s witchhunt threatens investment
August 04, 2015
Senate Inquiry’s witchhunt against wind threatens investment in regional Australia IDEOLOGICAL and unbalanced attacks like the one delivered by the Senate wind enquiry's report threaten the massive economic benefits regional Australia is set to...
Read MoreLocal mum stands up for her community
June 26, 2015
The media loves controversy. The public loves it. Politicians and lobbyists alike use controversy to stall, scuttle and direct any debate or outcome to suit their purposes. But few things on our national agenda...
Read MoreArarat pops the cork!
June 26, 2015
The town of Ararat is celebrating today with the announcement that the 75 turbine Ararat Wind Farm will commence construction next month. For many years, Ararat has been a fervent supporter of wind energy,...
Read MoreAbbott's anti-wind brigade reach new lows
June 18, 2015
Abbott's anti-wind brigade reach new lows Today, a government committed to cutting red tape agreed to add extra red tape to the operations of a internationally thriving industry. Ideas such as a new Windfarm...
Read MoreAWA joins 50 groups to call for a carbon pollution free Australia
June 16, 2015
The Australian Wind Alliance is one of 51 diverse groups calling for Australia to transition quickly to a low carbon future - including renewables - or be hurt economically. Representatives of the groups met...
Read MoreSenate hearing appearance for Australian Wind Alliance
May 21, 2015
Australian Wind Alliance national coordinator Andrew Bray fronted the Senate Select Committee on Wind Turbines public hearing in Canberra this week and challenged the committee to be constructive, not destructive. He was joined on...
Read MoreFarmer and earth mover have voices heard
May 21, 2015
When John DeGroote and Charlie Prell spoke up for small business and farming in the Goulburn region at a Senate hearing in Canberra earlier this week they knew they had many people behind them....
Read MoreA RET at last
May 19, 2015
The nightmare that was the RET Review is over. As of the 18th May we have a bipartisan agreement of 33,000GW by 2020 with no biannual reviews and the inclusion of biomass still to...
Read MoreAWA Senate Inquiry submission
May 04, 2015
Submission to the Senate Wind Inquiry Here's the full thing and here's the exec summary: The Australian Wind Alliance is a not-for-profit, community-based advocacy group to promote wind power. We have over 450 financial...
Read MoreSenate Wind Inquiry hears a different story
April 02, 2015
When the current Senate Inquiry into Wind Turbines was launched it showed every sign of being an attack on wind farms and a launching pad for increased regulation of an already heavily regulated industry....
Read MoreWhat choices has NSW got on wind energy at this election?
March 13, 2015
Time for parties to step up on wind energy The electorate of Goulburn has as much to gain from future wind farm development as any electorate in the state.
Read MoreCEFC: Abbott takes renewable energy back 12 years
February 26, 2015
CEFC says renewable energy taken back 12 years by Abbott Government The Australian Wind Alliance said there’s further proof today that the Abbott Government has gutted the renewable energy industry. The Clean Energy Finance...
Read MoreWind at the top of NSW election agenda in Goulburn
January 27, 2015
With the NSW state election only around two months away, the issue of wind power and renewable energy is appearing on the radar of politicians and voters alike, particularly in regional NSW where renewable...
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