The Kimberley Clean Energy Roadmap

In 2018, Sustainable Energy Now published the Kimberley Clean Energy Roadmap — the first comprehensive, fully-costed study of what a transition to renewable energy would look like across the entire West Kimberley region. The findings remain the most detailed publicly available evidence base for renewable energy planning in the Kimberley.

What the roadmap found

The study modelled renewable energy scenarios for every town and community in the West Kimberley, from Broome and Derby to the smallest remote communities. The headline finding: transitioning to 60–90% renewable energy across the region would save a minimum of $30 per megawatt-hour compared to the current fossil fuel generation cost, while creating 184 long-term jobs and reducing CO₂ emissions by at least 150,000 tonnes per year.

What has changed since 2018

Several significant developments since the roadmap was published have strengthened the case for action:

• The cost of solar panels and batteries has continued to fall, improving the economics further.
• Horizon Power assumed responsibility for 117 remote Aboriginal communities in July 2023, creating a single point of engagement for community energy planning.
• The federal First Nations Clean Energy Strategy was released in December 2024, backed by $70 million in funding.
• The First Nations Clean Energy Advice Grants program opened, providing up to $80,000 per community for feasibility studies.
• The Kimberley Communities Solar Saver program has demonstrated that rooftop solar works in remote Kimberley communities, with measurable savings.
• The Djarindjin Sun Turtle project has shown that community ownership of generation assets is a viable model.
• The IPP Mandatory Set-Aside, effective from 1 July 2026, gives qualifying Indigenous-owned businesses first right of refusal on Commonwealth remote-area energy contracts.

Why the roadmap matters for your community

The Kimberley Clean Energy Roadmap provides independent, third-party evidence that renewable energy is both technically feasible and economically beneficial for Kimberley communities. This evidence supports grant applications by demonstrating that the opportunity is real and has been professionally assessed at a regional level.

However, the roadmap is a regional study, not a community-specific feasibility assessment. Each community needs its own detailed feasibility study to account for local conditions: the specific energy loads, the available land and rooftop area, heritage considerations, grid connection arrangements, and the community's preferences for ownership and governance.