{"id":32337,"date":"2019-07-29T08:05:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-28T21:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=32337"},"modified":"2019-07-29T08:05:45","modified_gmt":"2019-07-28T21:35:45","slug":"sa-renewable-energy-planning-mb1151","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/sa-renewable-energy-planning-mb1151\/","title":{"rendered":"South Australian Renewable Energy Policy Discussion Paper Released"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Large<\/p>\n

South Australia’s State Planning Commission has released a discussion paper proposing new planning policies for the state’s large-scale renewable energy sector.<\/p>\n

SA’s love affair with large-scale renewables shows no signs of cooling off. As we recently mentioned<\/a>, South Australian Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan has stated more than 10GW of large-scale wind and solar energy projects are on the drawing board for the state.<\/p>\n

With so much renewables activity and changes in technology, planning policies need to keep pace says the Commission.<\/p>\n

A related discussion paper has been released ahead of public consultation on the state’s Planning and Design Code later this year, updates to which are touted to be the biggest modernisation of South Australia\u2019s planning system in more than two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe introduction of the new state-wide Planning and Design Code in July 2020 provides an opportunity to update our policies to reflect new forms of energy generation, storage and distribution,\u201d said<\/a> State Planning Commission member Allan Holmes. \u201cIt is also an opportunity to provide improved guidance for industry regarding the intensity, location and impacts of these developments to address community and environmental concerns.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Proposed Changes For Large-Scale Solar<\/h2>\n

While most of the proposed changes relate to wind farms, some are also on the cards for large-scale solar energy facilities. The Commission says there are relatively few planning policies specifically dealing with solar farms in the existing planning system.<\/p>\n

For example, there are currently no setbacks stipulated for solar farms; i.e. the minimum distance solar panels or other equipment can be placed from a development site’s boundary. Under the proposed changes, there will be a 500-metre solar farm setback from conservation areas, a 100-metre setback from township boundaries and 30 metres from neighbouring land.<\/p>\n

Additionally, current policies don’t specifically restrict solar farms from being established in environmentally sensitive zones or where landscape character attributes are more prominent. Under the new system, large scale solar farm developments would be discouraged from areas of high environmental, scenic or cultural value.<\/p>\n

Solar farm developments in South Australia also aren’t currently required to incorporate wildlife corridors. It has been proposed this be changed to encourage the assistance of movement of wildlife through:<\/p>\n