Mornington Peninsula Shire says Flinders is a step closer to having the Peninsula’s first community battery after getting a $500,000 Federal Government grant that would “fully fund” its cost and installation. The shire said in a statement yesterday the grant followed “three years of hard work by Flinders Zero Carbon Community; hosting community forums, commissioning a feasibility study, advocacy efforts and the development and presentation of A Road Map To Carbon Zero to a community forum attended by over 90 residents”.
Modelled on the Fitzroy North Community Battery, the battery would allow the Flinders community to store solar energy for use during peak times and share excess solar-generated power with nearby households. “The shire will work with Yarra Energy Foundation’s project partners to finalise contracts to operate and maintain the battery over its 10-year lifespan,” it said. “If favourable terms can be agreed, the shire will contribute $30,000 to site preparation works and will commit to owning the battery. Under this ownership model, any profits from the battery and potential EV charger will flow to a community benefit fund administered by Repower Mornington Peninsula, (of) which Flinders Zero Carbon Community is a satellite group.”
The shire said the 360kWh battery, which could support up to 100 households, would “allow increased grid capacity for more local solar installations and generate revenue to subsidise solar for low-income households. The estimated emissions reduction is 22.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year. The battery is designed to act as a solar sponge – storing clean and excess renewable energy during the day generated by local rooftop solar panels, then discharging of an evening when demand is higher and the sun isn’t shining. It also helps put downward pressure on energy prices, cuts emissions by increasing our total renewable energy usage, facilitates more solar installations, and even helps to stabilise the grid”.
Mayor Steve Holland said the project was “a great community initiative that will see up to 100 local households connected to the battery, benefiting from increased reliability from localised solar storage and demonstrating how one community can transition to renewable energy. We welcome the partnership with the Commonwealth Government and look forward to further opportunities on the Mornington Peninsula in the future”.
Flinders Zero Carbon Community co-convenors Jon Pearce and Ralph Kenyon said they were “delighted” the project had received federal money. “(This) will provide Flinders residents with a great example of how to move to a lower carbon power supply at the local level. The project will become a beacon for other projects within the Mornington Peninsula where more of the community can benefit from generating local electricity using rooftop solar panels and battery storage.”
Yarra Energy Foundation CEO Dean Cline said the outcome showed what could be achieved by partnerships like that between the shire and Flinders Zero Carbon Community.
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