Darryl Otzen moved to the scenic Strathbogie Ranges north-east of Melbourne to get away from it all. But he’s found himself at the centre of a fight that has split his small community and shows just how complicated the task is to decarbonise Australia’s economy.

The dispute over a proposed $1.5 billion wind farm in the region has pitched “neighbour against neighbour” and comes as strict environmental rules in other parts of Victoria threaten to derail the state’s ambitious target for 65 per cent renewables use by 2030 and 95 per cent by 2035.