If big solar is in our future, how do we ensure our biodiversity is, too?

Last night, we jumped online with some experts to find out!

On Tuesday 25 March 2025, NQCC's Coordinator had the rare opportunity to attend Townsville Enterprise's fourth annual Green Energy Forum. With tickets aimed at industry representatives, not-for-profits like NQCC are generally priced out of such events, but a kind donor enabled our attendance. Below are our key takeaways from the day.

For a safe climate, we need a future without fossil fuels. And soon.

So, what does North Queensland's energy future look like? What opportunities and challenges can we expect in the energy transition? How do we talk about these with our friends, family and decision-makers?

Most importantly, how can locals like us leverage this crucial moment in time to build a sustainable, equitable and affordable future for all North Queenslanders?

These were the questions we aimed to answer together at the Townsville Energy Champions Training workshop earlier this month.

Welcome to the March edition of Paperbark. This month we are ramping up our #StopAdani campaign – read on to find out how you can be involved. We also have some great trainingopportunities coming up this month.

#StopAdani Roadshow – Monday 27 March

This is big. Our very own city is the FIRST stop for a week-long roadshow across Australia, building an unstoppable movement to stop Adani. Come along and learn about what action we can take to win this campaign. Inspiring speakers include:

“While Adani’s Carmichael coal mine is beset with opposition and financing problems, the contrast to the go-ahead of yet another renewable, solar power station couldn’t be clearer” said NQ Conservation’s Maree Dibella, after news of the commencement of the $126 million Kidston Solar Project was announced by the Queensland Government yesterday.

“These are just the sorts of projects that conservationists support. It’s really exciting – an unused mine site being transformed into a renewable energy production and storage powerhouse” said Ms Dibella.

This study on the viability of a Floating Solar Farm on the Ross Dam is a guest post by Elly Hanrahan, an intern for the North Queensland Conservation Council. All views expressed are the author's and not necessarily those of the NQCC.

Townsville is currently experiencing its driest 11-month period since records began in 1841. With no action on water security from any level of government, desperate residents have formed the newly created Facebook group called ‘Water For Townsville Action Group’ in order to come up with a plan to secure Townsville’s water supply into the future.

One of the first actions of the new Australian Parliament last week was the introduction of the Omnibus Bill; a suite of policy measures aiming to save $6 billion. One of the savings measures is to strip the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) of $1.3 billion of its funding. NQCC doesn’t think that this is a good idea. Let us explain why…

What is ARENA and why is it important?

ARENA was established in 2012 and is an independent, commercially oriented Commonwealth agency. It’s two objectives are to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia. Along with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, it is a key institution implementing our movement away from fossil fuels and towards the renewable future.