Day 3

“Connections” Day – Field Trip on an eBus!

Friday, 8th March
9:45 am – 3:30 pm
Narara Ecovillage
33 Gugandi Rd, Narara NSW 2250
Darkinyung Country
To get there
Join us on the electric bus with pickup points Sydney – Hornsby …or you can come by train or car (1.5 – 2 hrs from Sydney)

Program & Timing

7.40 – Pickup Sydney, Queen Victoria Building Bus Stand, York St, Stand C

8:20 – Pickup Hornsby Station, Stand C

9.30 – Arive Narara for Welcome and Coffee

10.15 – Discussion Session 1 – choose your topic

11.15 – Morning Tea

11.30 – Tours

1.00 – Delicious, locally sourced lunch

2.00 – Discussion Session 2 OR Permaculture Tour

3.00 – Afternoon Tea, Report back and Close

4.45 – Drop off Hornsby Station

5.45 – Drop off Sydney, Queen Victoria Building

Day 3 at Narara Ecovillage

Located just north of Gosford, Narara Ecovillage is one of the first communities in Australia to implement its own “Smart” microgrid – connecting some 60 homes (soon to be over 100) with solar power and sharing a community battery. It is a beautiful intentional community demonstrating social, economic and environmental sustainability.

The day will be fully catered with vegetarian lunch, morning and afternoon tea, with most of the delicious food sourced locally.

Who should come

The day is designed for community energy group members and all the researchers, consultants and government folk who support community energy and have experience and expertise to share.

Focus

Tours of smart grid, sustainable homes and other village initiatives
Spend time together, build your networks, access community energy expertise
Workshops and conversations – key themes
- Intentional design of renewable communities
- Electrify projects – working in communities, promoting solar, electric transport, energy efficiency and electrification
- Mid-scale renewables and batteries – pitfalls and tips for developing projects
- Resilience projects – getting our communities ahead of increasing reliance on electricity and digital technologies
- Policy and advocacy – the why of community energy and turning up the volume on community energy voices
- House design and load flexibility – transforming energy use to soak up surplus renewables and lower costs
- Finance and legal – the levers for effective use of our time and efforts
- Equity Projects – bringing everyone on the journey and making the renewable future fair