Texans (USA) share experience of renewables

Famously known as the cattle capital of the US – with more cows than people – Texas has also recently been recognised as the wind energy capital in the world, with three of the world’s largest wind farms based in a Texan town of 15,000 people alone.

Although Texas is traditionally known as a state rich in agricultural and mining resources, in 2023, wind energy provided almost a quarter of all electricity for the state’s 26 million electricity customers.

On 23 September 2024, Coexistence Queensland, in collaboration with the Queensland Renewable Energy Council (QREC) and the Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD), held a roundtable in Brisbane. A Texan delegation of landholders, lawyers, and researchers with decades in renewable energy shared their insights on sustainable coexistence.

The event brought together stakeholders from community, agriculture, environment, resources, and renewables sectors to discuss topics ranging from social licence and community engagement to land use planning, decommissioning, landholder agreements, and community investments.

The delegation shared some positive impacts of the transition to renewable energy included younger people remaining in and returning to regional and rural areas, and landholders receiving fair and equitable compensation.

The event marked the start of a weeklong mission for the Texan delegation hosted by RAPAD, culminating to a big bash in Barcaldine on 27 September 2024 at RAPD’s Energy and Economic Futures Forum.