In the shift to capture renewable energy the case for local energy hub centres would make it easier for many participants
A campaign urging the government to invest in ‘Local Energy Hubs’ has kicked off today, supported by three regional farmers who have experienced the shift to renewable energy.
Three commercial operations, RE-Alliance, Community Power Agency and Yes2Renewables have joined forces to call on the Federal Government to fund Local Energy Hubs for regional communities in the upcoming mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
RE-Alliance has released a film demonstrating the need for Local Energy Hubs: local outreach centres in energy shift regions staffed by trusted local experts, who can answer the questions being asked by their local communities.
Wellington merino sheep farmer Tony Inder, Singleton farmer Sophie Nichols and Narrabri farmer and Managing Director of Geni.Energy Sally Hunter has illustrated why there is a need for more information through a series of personal stories covered in the film that can be accessed here.
RE-Alliance, Community Power Agency and Yes2Renewables are suggesting local energy hubs would provide vital information such as:
- Easy access to facts in local communities by hiring trusted and experienced local experts, across subjects such as renewable energy developments, transmission projects, home electrification and battery storage, electric vehicles and more, tailored to the region
- Serve as outreach centres, providing services to support communities in understanding and participating in the shift to renewable energy
- Be a crucial touchpoint for developers, helping to foster trust in communities for their projects through quality communication and engagement.
- Address barriers to the electrification of households, small businesses and farm businesses such as lack of time or quality advice
- Tackle complex challenges like ensuring communities know exactly how to have input into large-scale projects proposed for their regions.
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray adds, “Australians support our move to renewable energy, but our understanding of how far we’ve come, where we’re heading and what needs to happen to get to the end point is almost non-existent,” Mr Bray said.
“From hosting a large-scale solar farm on existing grazing land, to working out how to install the best solar and battery system for on-farm use, to filling an empty shop front to build local knowledge around renewables – all three stories in this film show how Local Energy Hubs could have made each journey easier.
“We need governments to proactively support and resource communities to understand, participate in and benefit from the energy transformation – and we think Local Energy Hubs could be a big part of the solution,” Andrew Bray concluded.
Real time applications
Wellington merino wool grower Tony Inder explains his experience, “There was no one really to talk to about it when we were looking at hosting a solar farm, because there weren’t many people that had done it.
“It wasn’t something that you could walk into the local pub and say ‘G’day fellas, does anyone know anything about solar, I’m going to sign the farm up, If you did that you’d have got run out of town.
“If there had been a Local Energy Hub, it would’ve been beneficial. It definitely would’ve helped us and it would’ve made our decision a lot simpler,” Tony Inder added.
Singleton farmer Sophie Nichols relates her journey, “I would say to any farmer, young and old, invest in renewables because it’s something that can lower costs and will ensure that the farm is much more resilient into the future.
“But it is confusing. And farmers are time-poor. If we had somebody in my town that I could go to who was knowledgeable within the energy space, it would’ve cut the length of time we had to spend on research,” Sophie Nichols pondered.
Narrabri farmer and Geni.Energy Managing Director Sally Hunter said, “It’s a very complicated space. You can easily get caught up in the technical issues and the market issues and also in the regulatory issues.
“This is why Geni.Energy was created – the template for Local Energy Hubs across Australia,” Sally Hunter suggested.
To find out more information and how it is suggested Local Energy Hubs will operate, head to this link.
About RE-Alliance
RE-Alliance is working to secure an energy transformation that delivers long-term benefits and prosperity for regional and rural Australia. They do this by listening to the needs of communities, facilitating collaboration across the renewables industry to deliver social outcomes and advocating for meaningful engagement and benefits for regions.
