Polling, farm income and land use data from Climate Media Centre
Support for renewables agriculture remains strong in regional Australia, according to Climate Media Centre figures released on 25 August 2026. A 2026 survey of nearly 2,000 residents in renewable energy zones across NSW, Queensland and Victoria found 63% backed the shift to clean energy, while 17% opposed it.
Recent polling also found 32% of regional Australians were more concerned about climate change than they were a year earlier.
Rural and regional communities face worsening drought, bushfires, heatwaves and floods as temperatures rise, the organisation said. It argued that replacing coal, oil and gas with clean energy is one of the fastest ways to cut climate pollution.
For farmers, wind and solar projects can add a steady second income. Host landholders typically receive about $40,000 per wind turbine each year and about $1,500 per hectare each year for solar.
Those payments are not tied to how much electricity a project generates. As a result, the income can continue through drought, poor harvests or weaker commodity prices.
New England Solar Farm runs with 6,500 sheep
Renewable projects can operate alongside farming rather than replace it, according to Climate Media Centre. Transmission lines and wind turbines have shared paddocks with cattle and sheep on Australian farms for decades.
At New England Solar Farm in NSW, more than 6,500 sheep have been integrated with the site. The panels provide shade in hot weather and some protection from frost in winter.
The organisation said the panels can also help retain moisture and encourage grass growth beneath them. That grass then provides feed for the sheep grazing on the solar farm.
Climate Media Centre also argued that clean energy can coexist with agricultural production and biodiversity when projects are well designed.
The organisation did not provide a project timetable, a national cost estimate or locations for future developments. Its figures focused on polling, farm income, land use and examples of agriculture operating with renewable energy infrastructure.
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