First Nations Scholarship for Socially Responsible Renewable Energy Development Course
With the support of RE-Alliance, Community Power Agency and our partners at the Centre for Impact Innovation, Griffith University are excited to offer two fully-funded places in our popular short course in Socially Responsible Renewable Energy.
The positions are offered to First Nations people who are either working in the renewables sector or looking to build their knowledge and experience of stakeholder engagement in the renewable energy industry.
If you have a keen interest in community engagement and a commitment to ensuring that the renewable energy transition happens in a way that is both fast and equitable for all Australians, we would love to hear from you.
Please complete the short form below to express your interest, or contact SRRED Coordinator, Elizabeth Noble for more information.
Ph: 0426887415
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Help your community build local energy resilience with our how-to guide
Over the past decade, regions across Australia have experienced weather events of increasing intensity and frequency. These weather events put pressure on our essential infrastructure such as gas, electricity and water. Climate extremes can also impact our social, economic and emotional wellbeing of communities. Communities who have their basic energy needs met will be better able to respond to these additional challenges. That is why the Community Power Agency has teamed up the Energy Innovation Cooperative to deliver a how-to guide on Resilient Energy Centres (RECs).
What is a Resilient Energy Centre (REC)?
A REC is a building that has been equipped with a backup energy system so that it is energy independent in the case of a region being cut off from the main electricity grid. Possible functions of the RECs might be that it is a space for resilience planning and an energy resource for response and recovery. However, ultimately the local communities who are leading on the development of these centres should determine their use, in conjunction with key stakeholders. That way, RECs can be fit for purpose and meet the needs of the community. Importantly, RECs are not a place of refuge, emergency relief or a place of last resort. Those places are specific and managed by state and local authorities trained and resourced to operate them.
Key points of our how-to guide
We walk you through the a-z of developing a REC.
- First things first, community engagement.
A REC should be fit for purpose and reflect the needs and values of the community. Our guide walks you through the principles of community engagement and strategies to help garner community feedback, including sample survey questions.
- How to identify potential locations for resilient energy centres
Every community is different, so we point you in the direction of the people who can help you assess potential locations for a REC. In some cases, you might be able to utilise an existing facility. We detail some considerations that should be given such as accessibility, safety, building requirements and key questions to ask energy system installers.
- How to establish an organisational structure
Whether you’ve found a host, or you’re building from scratch, you will need to establish an organisational structure to manage the REC. This could be an existing organisation in the community. Or perhaps you might need to establish a new organisation. Our guide walks you through some of the most relevant considerations, such as; organisational structures, the pros and cons of registering with the Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commission and how you can manage ongoing operations.
- Tech support
Locking in an installer as early as possible is key. As licensed electricians, they should be able to advise on what technologies or equipment is appropriate for your installation and suggest options for what to choose. Be sure to check out our guide to be across all the most common technologies that are relevant to RECs such as batteries, generators, and the electricity demand of different devices.
- Case studies
We explore case studies from the Upper Kiewa Valley in Victoria and the coastal town of Moruya and the Hawkesbury region in New South Wales. All REC developments should be approached on a case-by-case basis, and these examples illustrate how different they can be. Each case study explains the type of REC that was developed, funding, lessons learned during the process and community outcomes.
- How to fund RECs
There are commonly three stages of funding required: feasibility or early community engagement; capital expenditure and installation; and ongoing community activities and system maintenance. There are many different avenues to explore when trying to source this funding. Our guide explores common sources such as crowdfunding, philanthropy, government and private grants, and gifted equipment.
- How to determine roles and enable organisations
Developing a REC requires many different people and organisations taking on clear roles to contribute to the project’s development and success. Whilst the strength of RECs is that generally they are community led, staff and volunteers from other agencies are available for support, contacts and technical advice. Our guide can help you divide and conquer.
Community engagement needed for roll-out of Victoria’s transmission host payment plan
Press release
The Victorian government has announced a new program to pay landholders who host transmission lines on their properties.
Under the program, eligible landholders will receive a payment of $8,000 per kilometre, per year, for 25 years.
Community energy advocate, Community Power Agency, welcomed the news but called for more localised engagement around the payment plan along with a co-designed process for other supportive benefit sharing initiatives that are tailored to meet the needs of host communities.
“It’s a step in the right direction in that the Victorian Government is acknowledging that the community and the landholders really do have an important role to play in enabling this climate critical infrastructure”, Community Power Agency Director Kim Mallee said.
“But it is essential that the community has a genuine seat at the table when we’re designing these kinds of policies and the way that we roll out infrastructure like transmission lines for the energy transition.”
This framework follows in the footsteps of the NSW government who last year announced a payment plan of $200,000 per kilometre of new transmission infrastructure for landowners, paid out in annual installments over 20 years.
The Community Power Agency is helping community groups and local governments understand the various types of benefit sharing opportunities associated with the clean energy transition. This collaboration helps to create authentic engagement strategies that have community design at their core.
Labor announces $100m for ‘Solar Banks’ – What are they?
Labor’s first budget included a four year, $102.2m commitment to fund a ‘community solar banks program’ as part of their promised Powering Australia Plan.
But what is a community solar bank, and how can it help with Australia’s climate and energy challenges?
WHAT IS A SOLAR BANK?
More usually known as solar gardens, these projects offer householders the chance to buy or lease a plot in an off-site solar array, with the electricity generated from their plot sold into the grid and their portion then credited back onto participants’ electricity bills via a partnership with an energy retailer.
The concept has been adapted from the idea of a community vegetable garden, which allows those without a backyard to plant and grow fruit and vegetables in a shared plot of land. A solar garden, however, does not need to be tended by householders, meaning it can be located anywhere.
Solar gardens have been popular in Germany and in the US, with the fast growing American market seeing more than 200 MW of shared solar gardens already in operation.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Haystacks Solar Garden will build a 1.5MW solar array on 5 hectares in a paddock at a farming property in Grong Grong, one hour west of Wagga Wagga, which will be divided into 333 solar plots, each owned by an individual or nonprofit organisation.
As a form of community renewable energy, solar gardens like Haystacks are contributing to the end of fossil fuels in Australia. People with or without a roof can now choose to move away from fossil fuel generated sources of energy to solar power controlled by communities.
Renters, apartment dwellers, and people without access to a suitable roof – among the 30% of Australians currently locked out of solar – can all take part in a solar garden project. Solar gardens provide access to clean power for a diversity of households, paving the way for a fairer energy future.
Solar gardens contribute to decentralising our electricity system by adding another mid-scale energy generation project to the grid. Doing so helps to increase energy reliability in regional areas while also providing income certainty to farmers hosting the infrastructure. Both these build community resilience against future climate crises.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Pilot projects like Haystacks Solar Garden are already up and running, with plots still available to householders and not for profit organisations before construction begins in the summer months.
As more solar gardens are proposed, advocates are calling for Labor to expand the existing Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) beyond homeowners for their own solar panels to allow these rebates for solar garden plots to households that rent, live in apartments or without a suitable roof for solar.
“Community energy projects such as solar gardens play a critical role in the transition to renewable energy not just in terms of megawatt capacity but also in a way that is socially inclusive, creates social licence and stimulates meaningful regional economic development. It’s an exciting model to be pioneering for Australia, which other countries have been enjoying for years.”
Kristy Walters, Community Power Agency Director
The Haystacks Solar Garden is being developed with grant support from the NSW Regional Community Energy Fund for Australia’s first large-scale Solar Garden along with Sydney based community energy group Pingala, solar developer Komo Energy and retailer Energy Locals.
Solar banks and neighbourhood batteries a good start for Labor, but design and delivery critical
The election of an Albanese Government and a raft of climate-focused Greens and independent MPs heralds a new chapter in Australia’s story of becoming a renewable energy superpower. But there are some blank pages to fill in Labor’s Power Australia plan before community energy initiatives like solar banks and neighbourhood batteries can be deployed to assist more Australians to benefit from cheaper, cleaner power.
Over the weekend we saw that Australians in cities and regions around the country overwhelmingly voted for climate action. With the doubling of the crossbench, the public have made it clear that the major parties have not been delivering effective climate policy that will have tangible outcomes.
“Labor’s Powering Australia plan brings some welcome community energy initiatives that have potential to assist everyday Australians to transition to a lower carbon energy system and provide savings on their power bills if designed and delivered appropriately” says Community Power Agency’s project manager Kim Mallee.
The 2022 federal election result indicates broad social acceptance for the large-scale build out of renewable energy, however it should be remembered that social licence is an active process which can be revoked.
The Powering Australia Plan commits 85 solar banks and 400 neighbourhood batteries which could enable everyday Australians to be active participants in and beneficiaries of the renewable energy transition – but only if they are well designed and adequately supported.
While the design of these community energy policies is yet to be clarified, we suggest a roll-out of Community Power Hubs across regional Australia bolstered with a capacity building network behind it.
“Community energy is not just an electricity project at a local scale – it’s the community having agency and participation in energy projects to determine their own vision” says Mallee.
Solar Gardens (Banks)
Solar Gardens (as we prefer to call Solar Banks) provide a solution for the 30% of Australians that are still locked out of the rooftop solar revolution because they rent, live in an apartment or have an inappropriate roof due to shading or other reasons. Solar Gardens offer plots in an off-site solar array with the electricity generated from their solar garden plots credited onto participants’ electricity bills.
Community energy projects such as Solar Gardens play a critical role in the transition to renewable energy not just in terms of megawatt capacity but also in a way that is socially inclusive, creates social licence and stimulates meaningful regional economic development.
Community Power Agency has been pioneering the Solar Garden model in Australia since 2018 with an ARENA funded research project in partnership with University of Technology Sydney, that found the model is viable and desirable in Australia.
Labor’s ‘Solar Banks’ initiative commits $100Million to deliver an initial 85 solar banks assisting with 50% of the capital costs and importantly also covers the project’s feasibility and development costs.
After our Solar for All advocacy campaign, Community Power Agency was successful in receiving grant support from the NSW Regional Community Energy Fund for Australia’s first large-scale Solar Garden along with Sydney based community energy group Pingala, solar developer Komo Energy and community-owned electricity retailer Enova Energy. The Haystacks Solar Garden will be a 1MW solar array in the NSW Riverina and allow 333 people to purchase 3kW solar garden plots and receive credits on their electricity bill. It is in the final stages of network and construction approvals.
From the previous two years experience developing Haystacks Solar Garden we know that to roll out an effective Solar Banks/Garden program of the size Labor are proposing will require tailored expertise, support and coordination – such that could be provided via a Community Power Hubs & Network model.
Neighbourhood Batteries
The ‘Community Batteries for Household Solar’ initiative also outlined in the Powering Australia Plan shows some promising potential if developed effectively with communities at its heart. The initiative commits $200 million towards developing 400 neighbourhood batteries to help store rooftop solar energy at peak generation times and then make it available for the community at peak demand times.
There is a lot of buzz right now about the potential for neighbourhood batteries to assist in the transition to a clean energy future in a way that is nimble and equitable for everyday people. Developing business models and partnerships that suit the Australian electricity system and deliver meaningful participation for communities will be a key first step in developing this initiative effectively.
Whilst there are a number of neighbourhood battery trials underway in Australia there is a critical balancing act in making a project successful which requires careful consideration of network location, metering technology, tariff design and community engagement. Lessons learnt from existing trials will be critical in ensuring the roll out of an Australian wide community battery program of this scale is effective.
For more analysis and insight on neighbourhood batteries see this Renew Economy article by ANU researchers.
Community Power Hubs
Community Power Hubs are on-the-ground support organisations with the expertise and resources to enable community energy projects like solar banks and neighbourhood batteries to thrive.
To date in Australia there have been three regional pilot Community Power Hubs programs (currently expanded to 7 locations) funded by the Victoria Government with existing non-profit organisations resourced to deliver this program.
A key feature that has enabled the success of the Victorian Community Power Hubs is the background facilitation role played by Sustainability Victoria – a government agency – to enable collaboration, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
The roll out of solar banks and neighbourhood batteries will need on the ground support like Hubs adequately bolstered with a capacity building network. Our policy brief – Smart Energy Communities Program – details how 50 Community Power Hubs with grant resources and a Smart Energy Communities Network for capacity building can be delivered and scaled up over 10 years.
*This blog was edited on 26/5/22 to update our language about community batteries – we agree with the ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program team that they should be referred to as “neighbourhood” batteries as a catch-all, except where community members have explicit participation and/or control over their planning and operation.
Federal budget short changes the bush by not backing community power hubs
The Morrison Government’s 2022 Budget has missed a unique opportunity to address cost of living pressures hitting regional Australians with practically no budget measures that empower everyday communities to access the full benefits of the boom in renewables.
The Community Power Agency is calling on the Federal Government to get behind a people-powered renewal of regional areas devastated in recent years by floods, drought and bushfires – and now feeling the pinch from price increases.
Community Power Agency Director Kristy Walters said there are already 110 community energy groups lowering electricity bills and handing power back to locals as the national energy system surges towards a transition to renewable energy.
“We welcome the modest continuation of funding for regional and rural solar and wind powered microgrids. But regional communities are crying out for properly funded solutions to climate-fuelled natural disasters and high power prices,” Ms Walters said.
“We’re urging the government to establish 50 on-the-ground Community Power Hubs across regional Australia to unlock a wave of prosperity, innovation and resilience – it’s a vote winner.”
“People in towns all over Australia are rolling up their sleeves, sitting around a table and coming up with community energy projects that support local jobs, local power, local resilience. But the federal budget has delivered nothing to help them.”
The volunteer-led Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA) has a track record of helping families and community organisations on the NSW south coast access cheaper and more reliable power offered by renewable energy.
“During the Black Summer bushfires families sheltered in the Moruya Preschool, which suffered from days of no power. We secured grant funding and donations to upgrade the preschool into a ‘climate haven’, fitted with solar panels, battery storage, HEPA filter for smoke, a back-up power source and fire-fighting equipment. In the first six months of getting solar and battery storage, the preschool never once drew power from the grid. Their $900 quarterly power bills are practically nothing,” said SHASA President Kathryn Maxwell.
With roughly a third of households locked out of owning their own rooftop solar system, they have their sights set on an ambitious project to build a community-owned solar farm.
“We’ve achieved a lot already, but it has taken blood, sweat and tears – all in our own spare time. A Community Power Hub in our area would help us level up our impact and take on mid-scale projects, like the community solar farm. It could also support new groups in our region to learn and build on the projects it took us years to achieve,” Ms Maxwell said.
“We know Community Power Hubs are an incredibly effective form of regional development. In Victoria’s initial two-year trial they generated $14.5 million value, a 13-1 leverage of government investment,” Ms Walters said.
In February, the Community Power Hub Barwon South-West assisted YMCA Geelong to install a 60kW rooftop solar array on their sports stadium, which will save them $14,000 a year on their power bills. The hub has set up a no-interest loan with YMCA, which will pay back the investment over five years using the power bill savings, and then be generating free electricity for the lifetime of the solar system, helping the organisation to keep costs low for the community.
“With the exception of Victoria, volunteer community energy groups have continued to go it alone, using their own smarts and skills to develop new, more localised ways of generating power. But the energy system wasn’t designed for community-owned power, so they face many hurdles along the way.
“With a renewables boom already sweeping through regional Australia, everyday communities are poised and motivated to participate – but without proper planning, they will miss out on the benefits,” Ms Walters said.
For more information, visit repowerourcommunities.org.au or contact xavier@cpagency.org.au
Woohoo for 2022!
See you later, 2021! What a doozy of a year.
We’re so proud of the way you and the rest of the community energy sector has forged on despite the evolving covid pandemic, displaying resilience and focus on your projects through what were (and continue to be) some really tough times. Following on from 2020, last year demonstrated the immense value of community spirit.
This 2022, we’re hopeful will bring many more opportunities for us all to get together, progress our goals and achieve great things along Australia’s path to a fast and fair energy transition.
Read on for updates, new tools and highlights from last year:
- Repower update
- Power in numbers
- Training socially responsible developers
- New mapping tool
- Welcoming our newest team member – Xavier
- CPA in the media
We hope you all had a renewing holiday break, with the opportunity to catch up with friends and family.
From the whole CPA team at our virtual AGM below (where some of our team could get together in person!) –
Elizabeth, Tom, Kim, Kristy, Jarra, Fran, Nicky, Ella and our newest team member Xavier!
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Repower Our Communities update
We’re campaigning to establish 50 Community Power Hubs across regional Australia to provide critical on-the-ground support for locals to develop and invest in their own renewable energy projects, such as solar gardens and community wind farms.
You may remember that in 2021 community energy champion Helen Haines, Independent Member for Indi, included the 50 hubs into her Australian Local Power Agency Bill.
Last year, CPA helped coordinate over 800 submissions to the Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy from 121 (out of 151) electorates, from community groups to companies, individuals with rooftop solar and national peak bodies.
On 27 August, the Committee heard from councils, community leaders and energy experts in a public hearing – including speakers from Farmers for Climate Action and Community Power Agency. The message was overwhelming – people want a greater share of the renewables boom for their communities.
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But the Bill’s success in the Parliament is far from secured. We know Community Power Hubs are the next critical step in supporting the growth of the community energy sector – and we think this kind of practical and pragmatic policymaking can appeal to leaders across the spectrum of Australian politics.
Will you support us and make 2022 the year community energy became front and centre in the minds of your local state and federal politicians? With the federal election approaching, now is the perfect time to contact your federal MP and get our plan on their election agenda.
Kristy and Xavier are starting the new year by mobilising community energy groups around the country, building coalitions of support for the campaign, and collecting stories of success to make community energy even more visible to regional leaders and decision makers.
Join us in making Community Power Hubs a key election promise in 2022.
Power in numbers
Do we have your community energy group’s most up-to-date information?
In our 11th year we have big plans to support you and the community energy sector through compelling storytelling and effective lobbying, but we can’t do that without evidence.
Fill out this 60-second form and we’ll get in touch so we can leverage your group’s efforts and work together for better community energy outcomes in 2022.
Training socially responsible RE developers
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In December we delivered the final session of ‘Socially Responsible Renewable Energy Development‘, a first-of-its-kind professional development short course in partnership with the Yunus Centre at Griffith University.
20 renewable energy practitioners from a range of backgrounds completed the 8-week course, which featured 11 sector leading guest speakers and practical on-the-ground knowledge and tools about community engagement and benefit sharing models.
“This course is a timely and positive contribution to the industry.”
Andrew Dyer, Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner
Learn more about their experiences and register your interest for the course in 2022.
New rooftop solar tool
We have great news for communities across regional NSW. The Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI) has developed a new tool to help Councils and their ratepayers discover the savings they can make with solar power.
SunSPoT is a sophisticated, simple-to-use tool and unlike other online solar calculators, it assesses the angle and orientation of the roof, any shading impacts across the day and through the year, local weather data, as well as energy use and costs in the house or building. It’s reliable, independent and user details are not recorded or shared.
SunSPoT can determine the best positioning of a solar system on the roof, the kW size and expected installed PV system cost, annual savings and emissions avoided.
They have used the SunSPoT tool to map more than 40 local government areas across the state. We think SunSPoT is a great way for budding community energy groups to assess potential sites for roof-top solar projects! Find out more at apvi.org.au/sunspot.
Welcome Xavier!
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Our newest member Xavier Mayes joined the Community Power Agency team in November. Xavier comes from to CPA from the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF), and has a background in strategic communications, media relations and community engagement from a professional career spanning the film, university and NGO sectors. He is a founding volunteer director of the Blue Mountains Renewable Energy Cooperative (BMRenew) and holds a Masters of Sustainability and Climate Policy through Curtin University.
“I’m beyond excited to be working with the good folk at CPA. For the best part of a decade I’ve been involved with the community energy sector. I had the good fortune to meet CPA co-founder Nicky Ison in 2012 while running a regional renewable energy roadshow with the Nature Conservation Council of NSW. After her talk, I was hooked!
Xavier is working on the Repower Our Communities campaign alongside Kristy, so look out for an email or phone call from him (or beat him to the punch and get in touch first).
When he’s not working you’ll find him mucking around with his kiddos, baking, gardening, or playing futsal (indoor soccer)!
CPA in the media
Throughout 2021 we were out in the media, helping to reframe the energy debate, showcase community energy projects and advocate for better policies.
Here are some recent highlights.
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ABC Science: ‘Community energy’ may be the answer to regional prosperity under ‘net zero’. This town wants to give it a go
Renew Economy: ‘Explainer: Labor plans 85 “solar banks” to open up to renters. What are they?‘
Sydney Morning Herald: ‘Tenants and apartment owners to benefit from new solar power scheme’
ABC: ‘Solar gardens’ may be the answer for renters and apartment-dwellers locked out of renewable energy’
Until next time have a great start to 2022!
First of its kind: New course in ‘Socially-responsible renewable energy development’ delivered by CPA
December 2021 saw two notable “firsts” in Australia’s energy transition.
An impressive milestone for South Australia, where wind and solar farms entirely powered 100% of that state’s energy needs for a record 6.5 days, just shy of a whole week.
Meanwhile in different locations around the country, renewable energy practitioners logged in to the final session of an online course teaching them new social license tools many in the industry and civil society say is critical to delivering the pipeline of new renewable energy developments on the path to Australia’s 2050 net zero emissions target.
Community Power Agency (CPA) and the Yunus Centre (Griffith University) developed the 8-week online professional development course to increase people’s confidence and skills to deliver industry-leading community engagement, benefit sharing and local procurement for commercial renewable energy developments.
The ‘Socially-responsible renewable energy development’ course is the first of its kind to be offered in Australia and was made possible with the support of renewables advocacy group RE-Alliance and philanthropic donors Danny and Sue Mathews from the Mullum Trust.
With 10 years experience in advising governments, companies and civil society organisations on community engagement and benefit sharing for renewable energy developments, course facilitator and CPA Director Dr Jarra Hicks said achieving a social licence to operate was different for each project and couldn’t be guaranteed with business-as-usual tactics.
“The renewable energy landscape is undergoing rapid change. As states and territories roll out renewable energy zones worth billions of dollars, it is essential that projects put their best foot forward through good quality, high-impact community engagement and benefit sharing practices”, Dr Hicks said.
The course featured practical on-the-ground knowledge from 11 invited industry leaders for lively discussions that spanned the full experience of renewable energy development.
Content included learning-edges for the industry around engaging with first nations communities, how to deliver community co-ownership and co-investment ,models and how to deliver value in local communities through local procurement strategies – as well as training practitioners in practices of community engagement and benefit sharing.
“We had a great group of people who were highly engaged with the course and were keen to share their experiences and thoughts with their peers”, Dr Hicks said.
The course attracted 20 participants from a range of backgrounds including managing directors of renewable energy companies, project engineers and community engagement staff, as well as people from indigenous and community organisations.
“This was a fantastic course offering a deep dive into best practice community engagement in the renewable energy sector – I learnt a lot and look forward to recommending the next series to colleagues.” – Lauren Mellor, Clean Energy Communities Coordinator – Northern Territory, Original Power, an indigenous-led advocacy organisation empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with renewable energy.
“Such a fabulous course. I am so grateful to be able to learn from so many thought leaders in this space, including the course facilitator Dr Jarra Hicks.” – Mieka White, Communications & Community Relations Officer for power generation company RATCH-Australia
“This course is a timely and positive contribution to the industry.” Andrew Dyer, Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, Australian Government, who helps industry and governments by identifying and promoting the adoption of best practices for planning and deploying energy infrastructure projects.
The course will run again in Q2 2022. Sign up to the CPA newsletter to be the first to receive updates.
Our chance to turbocharge community energy
Right now we have an opportunity for communities across Australia to harness renewable energy to revitalise their communities, increase their energy resilience and share in the benefits of the renewables boom.
We have to ensure that everyone, especially in regional Australia where the investment and construction of renewable energy is happening, sees the long term benefits. The Australian Local Power Agency Bill provides a blueprint to do this.
It is currently being scrutinised by a Federal Parliament Committee and we need to show that regional people and community energy enthusiasts want a community-led renewable energy future. Will you join us and make a submission today?
This Bill, if passed, would establish a $467 million agency to support regional communities to develop and invest in their own renewable energy projects. This would include 50 new Local Power Hubs across regional Australia to help communities develop their own renewable energy projects.
It would also implement a new requirement for all large-scale renewable projects to offer local residents a chance to invest in them, instead of profits draining offshore.
This is our chance to ensure communities are supported to benefit from this clean energy transition. Follow this link to make a submission — it’s easy and will only take a few minutes.
Communities are already leading. I look at towns like Denmark in WA or Yackandandah in VIC and see communities that are getting on with harnessing renewable energy to tackle climate change and revitalise their communities.
This Bill would support communities right across regional Australia to join in. Please make a submission today and let’s repower our communities with renewable energy!
Here’s to a turbo-charged community energy sector.
June Newsletter
Community Batteries Info Session – 30 June
Yarra Energy Foundation’s Chris Wallan and Greg Hannan from Citipower/United Energy will outline this new approach to energy storage that will also help smooth the way to a higher level of clean energy in the grid, including Yarra Energy Foundation and Citipower’s new “shovel ready” community battery initiative.
An in person event for those in Melbourne, otherwise tune into Lighter Footprint’s Facebook live at 7:40pm.
Opportunity for Community Energy in Yea
Community Power Agency and 2030Yea -a budding community energy group from the Hume region in Victoria- recently launched a new report highlighting the local opportunities for community energy. The group has ambitious plans to achieve 100% renewable energy that is more accessible and affordable for their town over the next decade.
They have already begun a solar PV installation at the local recreation reserve and recently partnered with CPA to explore the next steps around community engagement and providing options such as solar bulk buys and energy education to achieve their vision.
You can learn more about 2030Yea and read the report here.
Image: John Anderson, Clare Daly and Elaine Furniss form 2030Yea being interviewed by Win news
Funds to Install Solar for Your Community Group
If you’re a community group (or know of one) that has a rooftop in need of solar panels there’s a number of opportunities to access funds to make it happen.
1. Revolving Funds – these are generally no interest loans to cover the up-front cost of solar installations. There are many groups around Australia offering these programs:
- CORENA – Citizens Own Renewable Energy Network Australia – any project in Australia can apply.
- COREM – Community Owned Renewable Energy Mullumbimby – for projects around Mullumbimby in the far north coast of NSW.
- Energy Innovation Co-op– Southern CORE Fund for south eastern Victorian based projects.
- And a recent addition with the tasty looking partnership between Ben&Jerry’s, 4 Pines Brewery and Enova.
Grant Opportunities
Each newsletter we’ll be featuring a few grant opportunities that could apply for community energy projects. Get in touch if you want to talk through your project idea.
Here’s the opportunities at the moment in order of due date:
1. Stronger Country Communities Fund
Regional NSW focus, grants up to $1 million. Due 25 June.
2.IMB Bank Community Foundation
NSW & Melbourne specific due 30th June.
3. NSW Infrastructure Grants
Up to $200,000, due 26 July.
4. Tackling Tough Times Together via Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal
Grants up to $150,000, due 12th August.
5. Powering your community
Australia-wide, $12,000 due 20 September. Get in touch with your MP to be invited to apply.
Donation Portal Launched
Community Power Agency supports the passion and diligence of thousands of community volunteers and enable hundreds of tangible real world projects to emerge in communities across Australia.
We’ve got big plans to make community energy policy and programs more supportive and bigger right around the country. But we need your help to make them happen.
You can donate here via our website.
Until next time 🙂
