News

Newsletter – End Of Year 2018

by Tom Nockolds

Dear Community Energy Fans,

As the year draws to a close, we thought we’d look back on a huge year for Community Power Agency and the community energy sector. 

We are very proud to have seen the sector grow to 105 groups and 174 projects in 2018, with more government commitments and increasing industry interest in collaboration.

Before the silly season we would like to share some project updates, outcomes and achievements.

Read on for:

  • A snapshot of the community energy sector in 2018
  • A wrap up of our Social Access Solar Gardens project
  • Insights into our project with councils
  • An overview of our community engagement work for a large-scale solar farm
  • Exciting policy projects, and
  • Stories from our work with community energy groups
Energy Archipelago map snapshot
News

Energy Archipelago: the end… for now

by Tom Nockolds

We are very sad that this week the international community energy mapping database, Energy Archipelago, was taken offline by Scene Connect.

The map included data from our own community energy database, so we’re particularly sad to see an international collaboration like this come to an end.

We continue to maintain the Australia database of community energy projects, which you can find at cpagency.org.au/map

C4CE Congress 2017 workshop
News

Introduction to the Australian Energy System Training

by Tom Nockolds


Have you wondered what the Finkel Review is all about? Or why gas prices are so high? Or how we could achieve a faster transition to 100% renewables? CPA’s Introduction to the Australian Energy System Trainings could help answer those questions.

In November and December Community Power Agency is running three training events in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. These trainings, kindly supported by a grant from Climate Action Network Australia (CANA), are tailored for campaigners, community sector workers and volunteers working towards the energy transition.

‘Energy Landcare’ to tackle rising energy prices

by Tom Nockolds

Read Nicky Ison in The Conversation on why Regional Energy Hubs (aka Community Powerhouses) are so relevant in a time of rising energy prices.

There are so many reasons that Regional Energy Hubs and community energy just makes sense, but they can be a little complex to explain.  This article steps through the reasons why this policy and supporting community energy will help households, communities, locked-out energy consumers and more to access the benefits of clean energy and keep power bills down, while prices go up.

Read here for the full story in The Conversation.

Energy Market Rule Maker rejects real reform

by Tom Nockolds

Today the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) rejected a rule change proposal that would have helped unlock new local and community energy projects. In its draft determination AEMC clearly showed that it doesn’t understand what consumers want or what the barriers actually are to mid-scale clean energy projects.

See Community Power Agency’s media release below.

You can also check out the research done by the Institute for Sustainable Futures that accompanies the Rule Change (and was completely ignored by AEMC) here.

Mark Byrne from the Total Environment Centre (one of the rule change proponents) has also whipped up a great article for RenewEconomy

Power users to pay price for slow-moving energy bosses

MEDIA RELEASE:

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has today effectively blocked community groups, businesses, councils and property developers from building and investing more in renewable energy.

The AEMC ruled out allowing any local business or council to share the solar power it generates on one of its buildings across its other sites, or with its neighbours.

Community Power Agency director Nicky Ison says the retrograde decision will thwart economic development across the country.

“Hundreds of new mid-scale clean energy power projects are effectively blocked as a result of today’s decision from the AEMC,” Ms Ison said.

She says today’s decision will also add to everyone’s power bills.

“It’s a lose, lose situation.”

A Federal Government-funded study has found relaxing the rules around sharing renewable energy could save Australians more than $1billion in cumbersome and unnecessary network upgrades by 2050. Network charges amount to almost half of the average household’s power bill.

Ms Ison says the rule-maker needs to get with the times.

“Our energy system is rapidly modernising but the rule makers are failing to catch up.

“The federal energy minister and his state and territory counterparts must now step in and fix this so it is cheaper and easier for communities and local business to keep building and using more renewable energy.”