Community Energy in Victoria is growing

Local Groups have been active in forming and developing project ideas.  In most cases, assistance is need in moving from an idea or a concept for a community energy project, to a feasible bankable project that starts to attract capital to build and operate it.  To get an idea of the types of projects that local community energy groups are working on, a list of supported projects through the Victorian Government’s New Energy Jobs Fund.

Newstead

The Victorian Government awarded a $200,000 grant to Newstead 2021, a local community group, to transition their town to 100 per cent renewable energy. Newstead, near Castlemaine in Central Victoria, has approximately 500 homes and a commercial high street.  The project is about Newstead 2021 develop and implement a model for supplying the town’s homes and businesses with 100 per cent renewable energy from a community-scale grid.

Woodend

The Victorian Government awarded a $100,000 grant to Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group to build a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the Black Forest Timber Mill in Woodend. The commissioned system now supplies the Mill’s tenants with solar power and a funding stream to support future renewable energy projects in the area.