Local knowledge the best way to find renewable projects

6 February 2025

Whilst some owners of land welcome the idea of hosting a renewable energy project, some owners dread the idea of living next door to a solar farm or battery. So when buying a property, how do you find these approvals?

At the moment the pathway to get an approval for a renewable energy project is varied.

On one end of the scale, some projects merely require local planning approval (eg, perhaps a small Battery Energy Storage System or BESS). On the other end of the scale, a project might be very large and the project proponent may opt to gain an approval via the Office of the Co-Ordinator General (eg, a large hydro project). Some projects will be looked at by SARA.

The State Government has recently added a layer to Qld Globe for “renewable sites”.  Qld Globe can be found HERE

You can then zoom in on any particular property, add property boundaries and add other layers to the area of interest. The new layer to add in relation to renewable energy projects is called “renewable energy sites”.

The data for the “renewable energy sites” overlay is sourced from the Department of Energy and Climate. Whilst the data may not be perfect, it certainly can tell a proposed buyer a lot about the area that they are looking at. It gives owners a hint as to where to “hunt further for information”. Some projects can be signed up with landholders under option, but no application has been made to any government department as yet.

Of course local knowledge is always best. A local lawyer should be keeping abreast of large projects impacting their city.

Should you wish to look into renewable energy projects as a part of your proposed purchase, please do not hesitate to contact our experienced local team.