More Victorian suburbs and towns will be plugged in to neighbourhood batteries, helping lower power bills, get more solar on to Victorian rooftops and provide backup power for communities during extreme weather events.
Bellarine will be home to one of 65 new battery locations being announced as part of round two of the $42 million Neighbourhood Battery Program.
The establishment of a battery at the Monahan Centre in Queenscliff will serve as a resilience hub during extreme weather events or power outages.
Neighbourhood batteries can soak up cheap, renewable energy from rooftop solar during the day and feed it back into the homes or organisations they are connected to at night, when power usage is high.
Other neighbourhood batteries include Housing Choices Australia sites across Melbourne, Koo Wee Rup Community Centre, Venus Bay Community Centre and Trafalgar Recreation Reserve in Gippsland, Reefton Fire Station in the Yarra Ranges, Pyalong Recreation Reserve Hall in Central Victoria and more.
These neighbourhood batteries can be paired with solar to provide back-up power to these buildings to act as community hubs for people to access power during prolonged outages.
These batteries will help Victoria reach its target of a at least 2.6 GW of energy storage by 2030 and 6.3 GW by 2035 – enough energy to power around half of Victoria’s homes.
We’re also helping First Peoples corporations and organisations access the benefits of neighbourhood batteries with the First Peoples’ Solar and Storage Initiative – jointly funded with the Albanese Labor Government the initiative will deliver more solar and battery storage to soak up renewable energy and keep power prices down.
There are now 90 neighbourhood battery projects across metropolitan and regional Victoria. For a full list of neighbourhood battery locations visit, energy.vic.gov.au/grants/neighbourhood-batteries.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio
“Victoria is the home of batteries – which soak-up cheap renewable energy during the day to drive down bills for Victorian families.”
“These batteries will also help keep the power flowing to essential services like the Salvation Army during extreme weather events so that Victorians can continue to access the help and assistance they need.”
Quote attributable to Member for Bellarine
“This initiative ensures the Queenscliff community has access to sustainable and reliable energy solutions that can provide vital support during extreme weather events.”
Quote attributable to Borough of Queenscliffe Mayor Cr Di Rule
“It’s great that this particular battery will mean the Monahan Centre can provide a community hub during extreme weather events for people to access power during prolonged power outages.”
