Newcastle audiences will be among the first to witness a short film urging the federal government to invest in Local Energy Hubs.

The RE-Alliance-backed campaign, which kicked off this week, features three regional Australian farmers’ experience with the shift to renewable energy, including Singleton’s Sophie Nichols.

It tells her story alongside that of Wellington’s Tony Inder and Narrabri’s Sally Hunter.

Following its release in the Upper Hunter, Local Energy Hubs will screen at Valentine, Raymond Terrace and Newcastle this month.

The fourth generation to farm her family’s land in Lower Belford, Ms Nichols can see how renewable energy could help the region in a post-coal future.

“I would say to any farmer, young and old, invest in renewables because it’s something that can lower costs and will ensure that the farm is much more resilient into the future,” she said.

“In fact, we invested in a solar panel and battery system to lower our bills.

“Farms are big energy-users… and I can’t see producing food becoming any cheaper.

“The number one reason for getting the solar and battery system was to lower bills and it has done that.”

But, Ms Nichols admitted the process was confusing.

“Farmers are time-poor,” she explained.

“If we had somebody in my town that I could go to who was knowledgeable within the energy space, it would’ve cut the length of time we had to spend on researching.”

It’s understood Local Energy Hubs would:

• Provide easy access to facts in local communities by hiring trusted and experienced local experts, across subjects such as renewable energy developments, transmission projects, home electrification and battery storage, electric vehicles and more, tailored to the region
• Serve as outreach centres, providing services to support communities in understanding and participating in the shift to renewable energy 
• Be a crucial touchpoint for developers, helping to foster trust in communities for their projects through quality communication and engagement
• Address barriers to the electrification of households, small businesses and farm businesses such as lack of time or quality advice
• Tackle complex challenges like ensuring communities know exactly how to have input into large-scale projects proposed for their regions

“Australians support our move to renewable energy, but our understanding of how far we’ve come, where we’re heading and what needs to happen to get to the end point is almost non-existent,” RE-Alliance national director Andrew Bray said.

“From hosting a large-scale solar farm on existing grazing land, to working out how to install the best solar and battery system for on-farm use, to filling an empty shop front to build local knowledge around renewables – all three stories in this film show how Local Energy Hubs could have made each journey easier.

“We need governments to proactively support and resource communities to understand, participate in and benefit from the energy transformation.

“And, we believe Local Energy Hubs could be a big part of the solution.”

For more information on Local Energy Hubs, head to www.localenergyhubs.org.au.

Hunter film screenings

• Saturday 24 August (1-4pm): Valentine Community Hall
• Friday 30 August (2-4pm): Raymond Terrace Library Courtyard
• Saturday 31 August (5-6.30pm): Hamilton Community Hive

For more community stories:

• A new sign of the times for Karuah
• Sunflower program driving inclusion on Hunter buses
• Murrook Culture Centre wins international award

Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.