The roll-out of renewable energy generation and transmission projects is happening at a breakneck speed around the world.
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Governments, responding to community demands for action on climate change, are pouring billions of dollars into new infrastructure projects.
Ironically, while many of these initiatives are part of a cumulative effort to save the planet from the effects of global warming, they also come with localised environmental and social impacts.
The Newcastle Herald in recent times has highlighted community concerns about the impact of the Hunter Transmission Project and the Hunter Offshore Wind Project.
Even the most ardent supporters of these projects acknowledge there are environmental costs associated with their construction.
Regardless of you point of view, the arguments - both for and against - are amplified when it comes to those directly impacted by a proposed project.
If anything has been learned from the Hunter Offshore Wind Project it is that different communities have different priorities.
A significant number of Port Stephens residents have raised concerns about the potential impact of the project on the area's tourism and marine-based economies.
Those in the middle and southern end of the zone have tended to highlight the job creation potential.
Despite the federal government's insistence that it consulted equally across the zone, the Port Stephens community raised substantial concerns relating to the adequacy of the consultation process.
Disturbingly, many claim they only found out about the project after the consultation process was completed.
Similar issues have arisen in communities affected by the Illawarra offshore wind project.
Earlier this year Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer led a review of community consultation processes for Australia's major renewable energy projects.
It aimed to determine more effective ways to engage landowners and communities directly affected by the green energy transformation.
The review was carried out after complaints in regional Australia about poor planning and a lack of consultation with farmers.
It found some participants had "a lack of trust" in project developers, including government-owned corporations responsible for the construction of several major infrastructure projects.
Many participants advocated for "an approach that enabled developers to be held accountable where performance fell below the expected standard".
Improved community consultation, better complaint handling and a rating system for developers were among nine recommendations to follow from the review.
All were accepted in principle by the federal government.
The Senate last week gave the green light to an inquiry that will examine the adequacy of community consultation for Australia's offshore wind zones.
Among other issues, the inquiry will look at the consultation process used for the offshore wind zones, the level of community engagement, the consent of traditional owners and the impacts on marine life.
While the inquiry will not directly impact the regulatory process currently underway to establish offshore wind zones, it will hopefully put a much-needed focus on how the process can be improved.
