LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUMMIT: How do you get regional communities who like the idea of solar and batteries and want to jump into the various programs on offer, but don’t know where to start?
As Pat Whitford tells it, the councils of Kiama, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, and Wollongong committed to operational emission reduction targets, with targets set between 2030 and 2035 and really wanted to find a way to engage their communities.
The answer, he says, was relentless consultation and adaptation to suit local needs and opportunities.
Initiatives the councils came up with include renewable energy power purchasing agreements, buying electric vehicles for their fleets, converting streetlights to LEDs, installing on-site renewable energy generation and initiatives to replace gas equipment with electric alternatives.
This is how Whitford, Net Zero program manager of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO), which consists of these four councils, told The Fifth Estate’s Local Government, Net Zero and Resilient Communities Summit on 10 September described the challenge.
“We wanted to enlist a service provider who could, on the council’s behalf, deliver an education program that really describes to our community how they can benefit from installing renewable energy equipment at their own businesses.
“We wanted there to be a finance offer associated with it…that allowed a wide range of community members to participate, regardless of their financial situation.
“We also wanted the program to have a bit of a longer term vision as well, so it does have a virtual power plant or energy sharing component involved in it as well, because we really want to start to develop that energy sharing model within our community moving forward.”
Whitford said the councils were motivated by community feedback from communities that wanted to see climate change initiatives that they could be part of. They were also inspired and reached out to the City of Mitcham in Adelaide, which helped residents install solar panels and batteries with no upfront costs.
Since 2022, the city has delivered four community bulk buys, which covered 3000 residents and helped 1135 households install panels, batteries or join virtual power plants.
Legal advice
But the process was complex, and the organisation sought independent legal advice to understand and inform the councils of the risk of delivering such a program.
On top of that, the team had a lot of work to do in “demystifying the noise” of what was happening in renewable energy for the communities, and to “become a true source of knowledge.”
Having supportive local groups in the region helped with demonstrating how these projects can work at an executive level, Whitford said, which would increase support for future innovative projects such as this one.
The 24 month program took two years to establish and was finally launched this year in June. The time was especially ripe, with the federal government’s cheaper battery scheme and the NSW government’s virtual power plant incentive, which “made it really attractive for participants to be involved,” Whitford said.
Teamwork
By working together, “councils can leverage each other’s internal knowledge, so if one council has a strong legal governance team, they can get that they can access that knowledge and have that confidence that…it can be used across the region.
“But there are also challenges…in managing local expectations, particularly around local installers who perhaps think they’re missing out on an opportunity by not being directly involved in this program, with not being that selective service provider.”
The program, which covers from Helensburgh, just south of Sydney, to Ulladulla on the south coast, helps address gaps, such as those wanting to be involved in Saul Griffith’s Electrify 2515 and don’t live in that postcode, to access similar resources.
How much did it cost?
In response to a question from the audience, Whitford revealed that the program “didn’t cost us anything.”
He said the program specifications were designed so that the council could educate the community about renewable energy and its benefits and include a “bulk buy component”. The service provider could then offer the community their services, which would generate revenue for the providers.
“It’s a bit of a tricky one in the sense that the contractor doesn’t have any financial commitments, [just] support from councils; that they are going to promote the program widely through socials, websites and facilitate community sessions, booking venues and making the community know that this program is available for them to participate in.”
“It’s really up to the service provider to deliver a good message that their product is worth the community considering.”
Where to from here?
According to Whitford, the organisation is hoping to offer more “bespoke offerings” to certain “cohorts within the community”, suggesting they could have a special offer for community housing providers.
“We also want to advance that community energy model, really highlighting energy that is generated and stored locally in houses and small businesses in the area, that can then be sold and traded locally, as well as with renewable energy asset owners, and households are getting paid a fair price for doing so.”
This event was supported by the Bridgeford Group, HIP V. HYPE and Smarterlite.
