by @HeatherSmith Heather Smith on 05/04/2025 at 12:06 am
Applications to the Community Electrification Engagement Program Fund by Sustainability Victoria close on 16th April
We are asking for letters of support before 16th April, and hoping you will all become involved through your regional leads to help shape the program in your community and agree the flow of modest amounts of funding.
Sustainability Victoria has given regions only a short time to get organised. We’ve been in contact with the largest groups and it looks like the lead applicants and best contact people for each region will be:
Hume – Goulburn Valley Community Energy, Geoff Lodge
Barwon – Geelong Sustainability, Emilie Flynn
Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Sustainability Group, Julie Flynn
Gippsland – GCCN, Darren McCubbin
Grampians – BREAZE, Peta Guy
Metro – Yarra Energy Foundation, Tim Shue

by @HeatherSmith Heather Smith on 04/04/2025 at 11:22 pm
The meeting Minutes capture everyone’s updates. It is always so great to see how much work is underway. C4CE, TRY, Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability, VicGrid, Sustainable Uppper Ovens, Alpine FM, Murrindindee Climate Network, GVCE, Totally Renewable Beechworth, ACF Albury Wodonga, Renewable Energy Benalla, Mitchell CE, Repower Shoalhaven and TREK were all there.

Link to video of Helen’s talk
Link to video of Nick’s talk

Key points from Helen Haines
In this parliament Helen has advocated for:

Home Batteries bill

Better access to ARENA for CE groups

A tripling of the federal microgrid program

Funding for CE hubs

No-interest loans for batteries

The Dyer review which resulted in recommendations for improved community engagement on grid-scale projects

In the next parliament, the future looks somewhat uncertain but Helen asserted that:

CE groups do critical work with renters, low-income groups and other community groups

there are signs that both sides of politics are open to providing home electrification support via low- or no-interest loans

She recommended that CE groups should:

lobby and work with their local MPs

get their stories out there (local papers will print local stories if you write the copy)

Check out Helen’s work here.
Key points from Nick, Indigo Power

Midday is a time of lots of solar generation and relatively little demand

Indigo Power has looked at ways to:

encourage better use of locally-generated electricity
i.e. by incentivising use of solar-generation in the local area when it’s generated

Resulting in the Energy Shaper plan for residential customers with its cheapest energy rate

10 am – 3 pm, everyday, all year

Reducing costs and

encouraging use when generation is cheap and plentiful

accessible to those without their own solar system

You can find out more here.

by @HeatherSmith Heather Smith on 10/03/2025 at 4:16 am
Here’s the agenda, hope you can join us. Please reply with your thoughts on updates, questions and asks or add notes to the rolling meeting log:

Meeting starts at 12:45 (room open from 12:30).

1pm – 1:45: Helen Haines will join us. Welcome from Nick Mason-Smith (Indigo), Facilitated by Rob Carolane (Indigo Power Foundation).

Helen will be keen to hear our updates and questions.

2pm: Indigo Power and surplus solar – Nick Mason-Smith will provide a presentation about plans for 2025.

Q & A

Please RSVP by replying to this email

Please register also if you are joining us online

by @HeatherSmith Heather Smith on 27/02/2025 at 10:24 pm
An enormous thanks to Taryn, Imogen and Eleanor – we had a great session on Wednesday and enjoyed a wide ranging discussion about the “hopeful action” that so many of our community energy groups are using to participate in the shift to clean energy.
A big thanks to the Sustainable Living Festival for hosting us and promoting the event.
And thank you – for coming along, listening and contributing!
A few of you didn’t make it, and I’m sure others would love to ponder the slides some more so please find linked below:
Community-led impact – the importance of community energy

A video recording of the three speakers and the first part of the discussion

Taryn Lane, Hepburn Energy – slides

eBook Hopeful Action: A handbook for Community-Led Climate Transitions

Imogen Jubb, Ironbark Sustainability – slides

Australian Local Government Climate Review

Eleanor Buckley, Community Power Agency – slides

From Grassroots to Grid: Community Energy Impact Report 2023

Summary of the key results by Coalition for Community Energy

Unconventional voices article in the Conversation provides some ideas about reaching community members who are not like us.

The movement monitor by the social commons library is mapping groups around Australia

Eleanor provided a couple of article that help tell the story of local economic development – local capacity building and energy workforce housing

And we talked about the work of Next Economy, Ethical Fields and Dianne Dredge who are all telling the story about community wealth building.

by @HeatherSmith Heather Smith on 24/02/2025 at 11:40 am
…and here’s a nice obituary in the AFR Vale to a true warrior of power