Community

Australia’s first large-scale solar garden will be officially launched in the New South Wales Riverina town of Grong Grong with hundreds of ‘gardeners’ on hand to celebrate the milestone that has allowed people previously locked out of rooftop PV to access the benefits of solar.

A volunteer-based community group is using profits generated by commercial and industrial rooftop solar installations to help build a “bridge to the future” as the Illawarra region on the New South Wales south coast transitions its workforce into new employment.

Endeavour Energy has activated the first community battery on its network in the New South Wales South Coast as part of a broader program the electricity distributor says will support a higher uptake of renewables and allow more households to access the benefits of rooftop solar.

The Ballarat Energy Network is on track to decentralise the regional city’s electricity network with a long-term view to supply the Victorian community’s 120,000 residents with 100% renewable energy generated by local distributed energy resources.

The South Australian government has announced the locations for two community batteries that are to maximise the local use of cheap solar, reduce pressure on solar-heavy grids and pave the way for more rooftop PV.

A new report puts electricity generation, storage, transmission and electrification from renewable sources on Australia’s front line to combat climate pollution.

Premier Jacinta Allan today announced that the Victorian government will accelerate planning approvals for renewable energy projects. The move is meant to ensure that projects that bring energy prices down can come online with greater speed.

The central Victorian community of Newstead is one step closer to seeing its solar farm dream realised with gen-tailer Flow Power announcing that it has reached mechanical completion of a 3 MW PV power plant that will generate clean energy to supply the local community,

The Queensland government has announced plans to deliver the key infrastructure and support microgrid feasibility studies in five remote townships as it seeks to promote energy sovereignty for communities on the edge of the electricity grid.

The Clean Energy Regulator has announced that the newly launched Solar Accreditation Australia is the new accreditation scheme operator for the nation’s solar workforce – more than 9,000 installers and designers.