For years, renewable energy projects have largely been assessed, by both industry and government, on an individual basis.

• Can the project achieve approval?

• Can environmental impacts be managed?

• Can land access be secured?

• Can the infrastructure be delivered?

But across parts of regional NSW, something is changing.

Communities are no longer evaluating projects individually. They are evaluating the combined impact of an entire energy transition happening around them.

And that shift may become one of the most important strategic challenges facing the renewable energy sector over the next decade, as Principal – Engagement and Social Planning Alysia Bradshaw explains.

When planning major projects – like mines, gas fields, solar and wind farms – it's common to evaluate each project's individual environmental and social effects.

Cumulative impacts look at the combined effect of multiple projects over time and space. Ignoring these broader impacts can lead to significant, long-term harm to communities, ecosystems, and economies.