Last Monday, Federal Labor’s Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen MP and Bendigo’s Federal MP Lisa Chesters announced a community battery for Maldon.
Households across Maldon have embraced renewable energy – with more than 600 households across the town installing solar panels, that’s more than 50 per cent of dwellings.
However, currently no batteries are currently registered in Maldon. The high price of household batteries means communities are still struggling to realise the full potential of rooftop solar, and it’s putting more pressure on our electricity grid.
This commitment will allow local households to feed solar power into the shared battery during the day and draw from it at night – cutting electricity bills and emissions and reducing pressure on the grid.
Local households who might be unable to install solar, such as renters, will also be able to draw from excess energy stored in the battery.
If elected, Labor’s Power to the People community battery plan will invest $200 million to install 400 community batteries across the country, which will cut power bills, reduce emissions, create jobs by boosting renewable energy and will cut power bills for families and businesses by $275 a year by 2025.
MP Chesters told the Tarrangower Times, “The Maldon community will be the envy of Mount Alexander and Bendigo Shires. We can start driving the revolution from here.”
MP Bowen said, “There is a renewable energy revolution going on in Australian households, but we don’t have the storage. One in four Australians have solar, but only one in 60 have batteries, due to the expense. Community batteries are an important part of this, as well as needing to upgrade the grid.”
Ross Egleton, Chair of the Maldon & District Community Bank Board, told the Times, “Now is the time to decentralise the grid. It’s cost efficient and will help manage power during peak times. The bank supports a community initiative where residents, who can’t afford an individual battery, have an opportunity to connect.”
Instigator of the initiative for Maldon and Coordinator of the Maldon Neighbourhood Centre, Amy Atkinson said, “This helps build community resilience by providing access and security to the town. Solar at the Neighbourhood Centre is currently able to be used during the day, but only a small portion goes back into the grid, the rest goes to ground.” It’s important that the appropriate infrastructure is in place.”
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 28 January 2022.
