Wagga's Bomen Solar Farm will be the latest contribution toward New South Wales gaining ground on South Australia as the top generator of renewable energy in the country.
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The latest National Energy Emissions Update from The Australia Institute suggests that despite NSW being one of the few remaining Australian states and territories with no renewable energy target, output from grid-scale solar and wind generators had doubled over the past 14 months.
The Bomen Solar Farm, with a projected energy output equivalent to powering 37,000 homes and saving up to 210,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, may be small in the scheme of things but plays a vital role according to The Australia Institute's climate and energy program director.
"It's a decent sized generator but if you compare it to ones like Liddell, it's less than 10 per cent the size so not a huge source in terms of providing a large quantity of the state's needs but definitely provides well for Wagga," project director Richie Merzian said.
"Smaller hubs like these mean the energy won't have to travel as far, and we won't lose as much energy along the way, as well as providing employment opportunities through development and beyond, and giving Wagga the opportunity to plug into some of the infrastructure which leads to the national grid."
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Mr Merzian said Wagga will soon be linked to SA via an interconnecter which will assist the leading renewable energy state by giving them a second connection to the national grid.
"The connection will also provide another opportunity for NSW and SA to import or export energy depending on who's producing more," he said.
"However, the disadvantage is there's no target for renewable energy for NSW, and having a target helps investors make long term decisions as it shows the state will back that production target and be a worthy contributor."
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment stated their are currently two operational solar farms in the Riverina - Coleambally and Griffith - with 15 approved that are not yet opporational and a further 10 proposed for the region.
Not all stakeholders in renewable energy back the entire process though, with NSW Farmers calling for more stringent oversight of planning approvals, and better compliance and enforcement with respect to the development of large-scale solar on agricultural lands.
NSW Farmers vice president Chris Groves said farmers are uncertain about current and future implications.
"This industry is still new in Australia and there are some scenarios that haven't played out yet, particularly around fires and insurance," Mr Groves said
The NSW Government has earmarked large sections of rural NSW as renewable energy zones, including in the New England and Riverina regions, and areas in and around Wagga.
"This will be a significant change to the rural landscape and to rural communities," Mr Groves said.
"Our members have clearly stated that large-scale projects are not incompatible with rural communities, and it is up to the individual landowners as to what happens with their land."
However, Mr Merzian said the transition is often the most daunting part.
"The direction for new energy is renewable and the more that local, state and federal governments support this, the easier the transition will be," he said.
"So smaller areas like Bomen make it easier to adjust, and make it a smoother, more reliable and hopefully cheaper transition."