New guide opens conversation with regional businesses and farmers about electrification barriers
A free guide, webinar and series of workshops will help farmers and regional businesses examine electrification options while giving them a direct opportunity to explain the practical barriers they face and contribute to the search for solutions.
Farmers and small business owners are being asked to share their experiences of trying to electrify regional operations as part of a project intended to identify the barriers standing in their way.
RE-Alliance, Farmers for Climate Action and the Australian National University are running workshops where participants can discuss the difficulties they have encountered, or expect to encounter, when adopting electric equipment and renewable energy.
The organisations want to hear directly from the people making decisions about machinery, infrastructure and energy costs. Information provided by participants will be used to identify possible solutions and support advocacy for their implementation.
The consultation is accompanied by a free practical guide and a national webinar intended to help regional businesses understand the technologies available to them.
Business experience at the centre
The project is examining the opportunities associated with wider regional electrification as well as the factors limiting its adoption.
For farmers and business owners, those barriers may arise well before equipment is purchased. Upfront costs and network capacity can affect whether electrification is practical, while the timing of energy demand can determine which technology is suitable.
The workshops allow the project partners to hear how those issues affect individual operations. Participants can contribute their personal perspectives rather than responding only to predetermined technology options.
An Albury workshop will be held at Atura Albury, 648 Dean Street, from 2pm to 4pm on Wednesday 2 September 2026.
Sustainability specialist Andrew Chamberlin will discuss technological developments and the future of electrification before participants share their experiences.
Chamberlin has 20 years of experience working across sustainability and renewable energy. He consults to businesses on practical net zero and circular economy projects and manages an energy-efficiency program for the Queensland Farmers’ Federation.
An online workshop will follow from 1pm to 2.30pm on Tuesday 8 September. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
The online format will allow farmers and business owners outside the face-to-face workshop locations to put their experiences directly before the project team.
Free guide starts with energy use
The consultation follows the release of Electrifying Regional Australia: A practical guide to electrification options for regional and rural businesses.
Prepared by RE-Alliance and Farmers for Climate Action, the free guide is intended to help small regional businesses and farmers determine which options may suit their operations.
It draws on existing research and interviews with 11 farming businesses in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
The guide encourages businesses to start by examining their current energy use. This includes understanding which fuels cost the most, when electricity demand occurs and whether consumption can be reduced before equipment is replaced.
Available options include solar, energy storage, stand-alone power systems and electric machinery. The guide also covers energy trading, community batteries, anaerobic digestion and microgrids.
Rather than recommending one solution, it explains how business type and location can change the case for electrification. A town-based operation may have consistent demand but limited space, while a farm may have more land and highly seasonal energy use.
The guide says electrification will not suit every business immediately. Individual operators must consider upfront costs and expected returns, along with local electricity infrastructure and the maturity of the relevant technology.
Businesses are advised to obtain independent advice before committing to major capital expenditure.
Webinar brings together specialists and operators
A national webinar will give farmers and regional business owners an opportunity to hear more about the technologies covered by the guide.
Electrification options for farms and rural and regional businesses will run online from noon to 1pm AEST on Thursday 10 September 2026.
The webinar will examine how different options may suit individual farms and small businesses. It will also include firsthand lessons from operators that have already electrified their businesses.
Speakers will include Narromine farmer Karin Stark, Director of Farm Renewables Consulting, and Limebranch Director Andrew Chamberlin.
Karin Stark contributed to the guide as one of its authors. Andrew Chamberlin also wrote the publication with support and input from RE-Alliance and Farmers for Climate Action.
