Children intimidated in the playground and ostracised families have been observed in communities splintering over the renewables rollout, with misinformation understood to be inflaming divides.
"The division in the community, and the bullying, harassment, intimidation, that I've seen, it saddens me," Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Mahar said during a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
"And it troubles me."
Mr Mahar is on the frontline of fracturing over clean energy and transmission infrastructure in his role designed to address inadequate community engagement by industry and government.
Fire risk and compensation questions are some of the concerns he and his team hear regularly, anxieties the commissioner says can be "exacerbated by lack of understanding or trust and