Advice and services. All you need to know.
Information on assistance programs, industry directories and regulatory guidelines relevant to the renewable energy industry and investors is included on this site.
Industry Capability Directories
A Capability Mapping workshop held in November 2010 sponsored by the Tasmanian Renewable Energy Industry Development Board noted a presentation from the Industry Capability Network on progress toward establishment of a Clean Energy Technology Directory incorporating a section on Tasmania. This directory is now functional and will continue to be updated as suppliers upload their information. The government will encourage industry to list their capabilities on the database. The directory can be accessed at: http://www.icntas.org.au/.
Ecogeneration Australian Clean Energy Directory
The Ecogeneration Australian Clean Energy Directory is an online directory listing a number of companies and service providers operating in the clean energy space. The directory is organised by technology type and geographical location, for easy browsing.
http://ecogeneration.com.au/directory/
Register of Environmental and Planning consultants
The Register is managed by the Tasmanian Environment Protection Authority. It lists persons or companies that have advised the EPA of their availability for consulting work.
http://www.environment.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=396
Planning and Development Approval Guidelines
Planning and development approval processes can often be complex, time consuming and involve multiple parties. The Government’s planning framework and numerous best practice guidelines by government bodies and other organisations assist with navigating the process.
Tasmanian Planning Schemes set out the requirements for use or development of land in accordance with the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (the Act). Maps show how land is zoned and the scheme sets out the provisions that apply to use or development of land.
A new ‘Common Key Elements Template’ will ensure that all new planning schemes look and operate in a consistent manner so that the community and developers have a much greater degree of certainty and consistency regardless of the projects location. More information on State planning and the new ‘common’ planning scheme template is available at
http://www.planning.tas.gov.au/the_planning_system/state_planning
Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Tasmania
The EPA is central to Tasmania's Resource Management and Planning System. It is governed by an independent Director and Board, and supported by the EPA Division under the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment.
Tasmanian legislation requires that proposed new level two activities must be referred to the EPA for environmental impact assessment. Level two activities and the circumstances in which other activities may be ‘called in' for environmental assessment by the Board of the EPA are available from the EPA website at: http://www.epa.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=184
Clean Energy Council Best Practice Guidelines for Wind Power Development
Auswind developed a set of best practice guidelines in 2002 to guide wind farm developments nationally, and reviewed these guidelines in 2006. The guidelines cover a range of best practices throughout the lifecycle of a development.
They can be accessed at:
http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/cec/accreditation/certified-wind-farms-australia/Best-Practice.html
Community Power
Community power is gaining momentum in Australia with projects such as the Hepburn Wind Farm at Leonards Hill (near Daylesford), which instigated the creation of Embark, a not-for-profit group aiming to provide support and information to other communities interested in developing similar projects.
The Embark website, containing information on all aspects and stages of a community power project, can be accessed at the following link:
http://www.embark.com.au/display/public/content/Community
