The Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) has been funded to plan community batteries across the Hepburn Shire as part of State Government’s Neighbourhood Battery Initiative.
As part of the Initiative, CVGA will lead the ‘Community Sparks’ program, seeking to assess and plan for community battery sites around the Hepburn Shire.
“With the right model, these batteries have the potential to improve energy and community resilience. Our job will be to see what works best for different communities and how we can maximise benefits,” stated Rob Law, Executive Officer of CVGA.
Hepburn Wind and Hepburn Shire Council will be key partners in Community Sparks. The Hepburn Shire makes an ideal candidate for community batteries because of their high solar penetration and being the home of Hepburn Z-NET, a shire-wide collaborative partnership seeking to reach zero-net emissions by 2030.
The program will seek to create a decision-making tool for regional communities to help them select suitable battery projects. The program will also explore a single potential battery site for six other local governments in the region.
“Community batteries offer a great tool to unlock more solar, ensure households can benefit from renewables and create income to help residents manage their energy bills,” said Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Lesley Hewitt.
“We’re really excited for this opportunity,” said Taryn Lane, General Manager of Hepburn Wind. “Our community has a target to reach zero-net emissions by 2030, a critical decade for climate action. Community batteries could play a role in helping us reduce these emissions,” she said.
If you want to find out more about the Neighbourhood Battery Initiative, you can find information on the Hepburn Z-NET website at https://hepburnznet.org.au/program/neighbourhood-battery-initiative/.
