From across Australia, and the world, individuals and communities came together to pursue the idea of genuine community energy projects. The Congress showed that communities are leading the way toward creating sustainable energy enterprises that increase local energy security, create regional community development opportunities, and directly act to reduce carbon emissions.

The Community Energy Congress brought together for the first time, all the key players in the emerging Australian community energy sector.

ABOUT C4CE

The Coalition for Community Energy has been established to foster the development of a vibrant community energy sector in Australia. Together we have a vision of communities across Australia benefiting from shared ownership of innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; taking an active role in creating a sustainable and resilient energy future for Australia.

The Coalition for Community Energy undertakes a range of initiatives to this purpose, with different organisations in the coalition taking the lead on different initiatives.

DECARBONISE

Decarbonise our energy supply through using renewable energy or low carbon technologies

DECENTRALISE

Decentralise and localize our energy supply

DEMOCRATISE

Democratise our energy governance through community ownership and participation

Just as there is no one size fits all definition of community, there is no one definition of community renewables. Indeed the sheer diversity of community renewable energy projects is what makes this sector so beneficial. These projects come in many shapes and sizes, growing from the diverse needs and available resources of the local community. It might be anything from PV on a school roof to a 4-turbine wind farm on the edge of town to a small hydro system owned by two nearby villages. Projects vary by technology, size, structure, governance and funding options. Even people’s motivations for setting such a project up vary.