Western Australia alone plans to more than double its renewable energy in the state's southwest by the end of the decade as coal-fired plants power down.
A summit roundtable in Perth on Thursday discusses a standard approach for renewables in communities, and a statewide benefit-sharing scheme for local governments.
These measures are need to tackle what the event program describes as "chaos for landholders, communities and developers" in regional Australia.
MPs and groups call for drop-in centres to explain details of the energy transition to communities. (Raoul Wegat/AAP PHOTOS)
Meanwhile, the more than one in three WA households with rooftop solar face a shrinking payback for the excess power they sell into their electricity grid, the South-West Interconnected System (SWIS).
Grassroots energy organisations and state and federal politicians have been calling for funding for local energy hubs nationwide in the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which updates the federal budget.
A network of 50 drop-in centres could answer questions about transmission and renewable energy projects, while helping households and businesses get more value out of going electric.
The WA Labor government recommitted in July to phasing out coal-fired power stations by 2030 and boosting reliable renewable generation and storage.
In return, the federal government pledged to support developers to build at least 6.5 terawatt hours of new wind and solar and 1.1 gigawatts of new storage capacity in the state to keep the electricity grid stable.
The Smart Energy Council, an independent industry body, reiterated its call for WA to legislate for the SWIS to be at least 82 per cent renewables by 2030.
Facing similar challenges to its east coast counterparts, historic WA coal area Collie will host the nation's biggest battery system to ease pressure on the changing grid.
Member for the Southwest and WA opposition energy spokesman Steve Thomas has said a nuclear plant could be added "if the business case stacks up and advances in technology allow it to fit" the state's unique energy market.
The state government on Tuesday announced a $134 million allocation from an industrial transition fund to unlock Collie land for new industries to replace old coal-fired jobs.
Among the contenders, Auzvolt wants to build a battery manufacturing, packing and recycling plant in Collie to provide homes and businesses with energy storage that is larger and cheaper than a Tesla Powerwall.
Poles and wires will be needed to connect Pilbara industrial areas with green energy zones. (Will Russell/AAP PHOTOS)
In the state's northwest, the vast Pilbara region lacks the transmission to support new "energy superpower" industries in green ammonia and hydrogen or low-carbon iron and steel.
Despite investor setbacks and concerns over cultural heritage and the environment, major companies are developing green ammonia and hydrogen as new feedstocks for fertilisers, explosives and green iron exports.
Billions of dollars of poles and wires will be needed to connect industrial areas with wind and solar generation zones to wean the economic heartland off fossil fuels.
Successful bidders for the transmission corridors will be in the running for a share of the $3 billion Rewiring the Nation fund, with expressions of interest due in a fortnight.
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