Renewables Done Right

Informing regional community responses to large-scale renewables

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Resources, references, and further reading

Darling Downs Environment Council Resources

Renewables Done Right Statement addressing community and environmental issues.

Our Renewables Done Right Petition calling for planning changes to protect important farmland and nature from all energy and mining developments.

Queensland Government Resources

  1. Social Impact Assessment Guideline
  2. Social Licence Toolkit for Councils
  3. Planning guideline State code 23: Wind Farm development
  4. Planning guideline State code 26: Solar Farm development
  5. Construction and operation of solar farms: Code of Practice
  6. Queensland Solar Farm Guidelines. Practical guidance for communities, landowners and project proponents
  7. Carbon farming in Australia

Other Resources

Meat and Livestock Australia includes a Property Risk Assessment as part of its Livestock Production Assurance proogram. It addresses risks related to materials ‘degrading with age’ among which it includes renewables infrastructure along with other types of degrading industrial infrastructure.

RE-Alliance offers a variety of resources related to best practice with renewables.

Clean Energy Council has downloadable renewable energy fact sheets for consumers.

Queensland Conservation Council has published guidelines on how to build renewables well.

A 2013 report from the World Wildlife Fund addresses some myths about renewable energy.

Queensland Farmers Federation offers an Energy Information Service for Landholders. It is free phone service (07 3837 4720) available Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm or visit the website. It also offers a downloadable Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit.

The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) offers a complaints process for residents who live in proximity to proposed or operating wind or solar farms 5MW+ in capacity, large-scale batteries 1MW+ in capacity, or new major transmission line projects.

The mission of RELA is to optimise the transition to renewable energy by creating an end-to-end marketplace for renewable energy land. This results in an orderly, fair and equitable transition of land to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Information about Carbon Farming is available from Carbonlink.

Queensland Renewable Energy Council works with industry, communities and all levels of government in the delivery of a thriving new energy sector for Queensland.

The Queensland Ag Energy Hub is a centralised hub of information for farmers and landholders in Queensland navigating the energy needs and requirements of their operations.

References

  1. ABC News (2020). Trial of sheep grazing under solar panels shows early positive results.
  2. Abrahams, T., Sullivan, J., & Whiteway, C. (2025). Wind farms: Ecologically Sensitive Planning and Design. Aurecon.
  3. Anderson, C. M., Hopkins, A. P., & Anderson, J. T. (2025). Assessing the impact of solar farms on Waterbirds: A literature review of ecological interactions and habitat alterations. Conservation, 5(1), 4.
  4. Andrew, A., (2020) Lamb Growth and Pasture Production in Agrivoltaic Production System. Honours Thesis.
  5. Australasian bat society policy statement on wind farms. (2019). Australasian Bat Society.
  6. American Wind Wildlife Institute (2014). Wind turbine interactions with wildlife and their habitats. A summary of research results and priority questions.
  7. Barré, K., Baudouin, A., Froidevaux, J. S., Chartendrault, V., & Kerbiriou, C. (2023). Insectivorous bats alter their flight and feeding behaviour at ground‐mounted solar farms. Journal of Applied Ecology, 61(2), 328-339.
  8. Bennett, E. (2019). Wind farms, their true impact on birds and bats. Australasian Science, 40(3).
  9. Bennett, E. M., Florent, S. N., Venosta, M., Gibson, M., Jackson, A., & Stark, E. (2022). Curtailment as a successful method for reducing bat mortality at a southern Australian wind farm. Austral Ecology, 47(6), 1329-1339.
  10. Bowen, M (2024) Agrivoltaic grazing systems in Queensland: The potential, challenges, and opportunities for the coexistence of grazing and solar power plants in Queensland. DAF.
  11. Blashki, G., Coram, A., & Moss, J. (2014). Wind Energy, Climate and Health. The Australia Institute.
  12. Clean Energy Council (2021) Australian Guide to Agrisolar for large-scale solar.
  13. Green Wind Renewables. (2024). How might wind turbines affect my existing farming activities?
  14. The Biodiversity Consultancy. (2021). Mitigating biodiversity impacts associated with solar and wind energy development: Guidelines for project developers. IUCN Global Business and Diversity Program.
  15. Bird and bat adaptive management plan v2 Boco Rock Wind Farm, NSW (Project Number: 22-1024). (2023). NGH Pty Ltd.
  16. Bloch, M. (2022, March 31). Australian solar farms as wildlife habitats. Solar Quotes Blog.
  17. Building better biodiversity on solar farms: A regenerative guide to nature positive solar farming. (2024). Community power Agency.
  18. Canto, N. (2022). Epuron Typical Wind Farm Design Criteria. iCubed Consulting PTY LTD.
  19. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. (2025). Renewable energy developments and environmental protection. Australian Government.
  20. Clean Energy Council. (2018). Best Practice Guidelines for Implementation of Wind Energy Projects in Australia.
  21. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. (2024). Community engagement for renewable energy infrastructure. Australian Government.
  22. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW. (2010). The Wind Energy Fact Sheet.
  23. Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. (2024). Wind Energy Guideline.
  24. Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council. (2024). National guidelines: Community engagement and benefits for electricity transmission projects.
  25. Farmers for Climate Action. (2024, February 21). Reality check: Renewables make farmers money. Farmers for Climate Action – inspiring farmers to achieve and advocate for climate action.
  26. Fleming, P. (2025). All that glitters – Review of solar facility impacts on fauna. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 224, 115995.
  27. Geronimo. (2023, September 7). Research shows solar farms may have unintended drawback on bats. Earth Buddies.
  28. Guo, L., He, Z., Liu, H., Wei, L., Wu, C., Yang, D., Yetemen, O., & Zhao, W. (2025). Diverse vegetation responses to solar farm installation are also driven by climate change, Communications Earth & Environment, 6(118).
  29. Handbook for the development of renewable energy in Victoria: Guidance to avoid, minimise, mitigate, and compensate for impacts on threatened bird and bat species. (2025). Victoria State Government.
  30. Hassanpour AE et al. (2018) Remarkable agrivoltaic influence on soil moisture, micrometeorology and wateruse efficiency. PLoS ONE 13(11).
  31. Inspire. (2025). Low-Impact Solar Development Strategies Primer.
  32. Institute for Sustainable Futures. (2024). Building better practice for renewable energy: Six ways to improve ecosystem outcomes” prepared for WFF.
  33. Krujiff, P. D. (2024, September 4). How much koala habitat is cleared for mining and renewable energy projects each year? ABC News.
  34. Lentini, P. E., Lumsden, L. F., & Van Harten, E. M. (2025). Assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of onshore wind turbine collision impacts on wildlife: A systematic review of the international peer-reviewed literature, and its relevance to the Victorian context (389). Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Technical Report.
  35. Nordberg, E. (Senior Lecturer, Applied Ecology and Landscape Management), University of New England. (2025, February 2). How solar farms can double as havens for our wildlife. The Times.
  36. Preston, Rowe Patterson. (2013). Assessment of the Impact of Wind Farms on Surrounding Land Values in Australia
  37. Queensland Farmers Federation (2023). Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit
  38. Queensland solar farm guidelines: Practical guidance for communities, landowners and project proponents. (2018). Queensland Government.
  39. RE-Alliance (2025) Refurbishment, repowering or retirement. What happens when renewables approach end of life?
  40. RSPB. (2025, February 13). Solar farms managed for nature can boost bird numbers and biodiversity. Attention Required! | Cloudflare.
  41. Sapphire Wind Farm addendum to bird and bat adaptive management plan prepared for CWP Renewables (16045.8 3.3). (2022). Nature Advisory.
  42. Slezak, M. (2024, August 27). The deforestation on farms that ‘people don’t even know’ is happening. ABC News.
  43. Solar farms ‘can be wildlife havens’. (2023, June 6). Solar Energy UK.
  44. South Burnett. (2018). Wind Farm Work Well Underway.
  45. Stark E. & Muir S. (2020) Post construction bird and bat monitoring at wind farms in Victoria. 13th Wind Wildlife Research Meeting. Symbolix, North Melbourne.
  46. State of Victoria. (2025). Handbook for the development of renewable energy in Victoria
  47. Stringy Bark Ecology and Community Power Agency. (2024). Building Better Biodiversity on Solar Farms.
  48. Taking the green out of green energy? Balancing wind power growth with wildlife conservation in Queensland. (2023). Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.
  49. Tilt Renewables. (2024). Wind Farm Frequently Asked Questions.
  50. Tinsley, E., Froidevaux, J. S., Zsebők, S., Szabadi, K. L., & Jones, G. (2023). Renewable energies and biodiversity: Impact of ground‐mounted solar photovoltaic sites on bat activity. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60(9), 1752-1762.
  51. Walston, L. J., Rollins, K. E., LaGory, K. E., Smith, K. P., & Meyers, S. A. (2016). A preliminary assessment of avian mortality at utility-scale solar energy facilities in the United States. Renewable Energy, 92, 405-414.
  52. Watkins, T. (2023). Top 9 questions and answers about building renewables. Queensland Conservation Council.
  53. What is the total land required for the transition? (n.d.). Queensland Conservation Council. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from
  54. Whitby, M. D., O’Mara, M. T., Hein, C. D., Huso, M., & Frick, W. F. (n.d.). A decade of curtailment studies demonstrates a consistent and effective strategy to reduce bat fatalities at wind turbines in North America. Ecological solutions and evidence, 5(3).
  55. Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland. (2023). Taking the green out of green energy? Balancing wind power growth with wildlife conservation in Queensland.
  56. Wind energy bird monitoring & mitigation systems (BMMS). (2025, June 23). DeTect.
  57. Wind turbines kill bats, but they don’t have to. (2024, June 10). Ecological Society of Australia.
  58. Wind. (n.d.). AG Energy Australia.
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