How the wind blows in Walcha: a community divided over renewable energy

Farmers in New England are facing off against an unlikely alliance of the National party and conservationistsSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityIn Walcha, the locals say, the wind blows straight up from Cooma and clears the 800km distance in about two minutes flat. It's that wind that has made it a prized site for renewable energy projects.The northern inland New South Wales town is in the southernmost lobe of the New England Renewable Energy Zone (Rez), the northernmost of the five zones set up by the NSW government to cluster new wind and solar projects together for ease of storage and transmission.Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter Continue reading...