VIC Community Groups To Slash Bills With Solar And Batteries

A bunch of community groups and councils across Victoria have scored funding from the Andrews Government to support installation of solar panels and batteries.

The Community Climate Change and Energy Action (CCCEA) program supports Victorian community groups and local governments by funding upgrades aiming to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity costs can be a major expense for community groups and freeing up funds otherwise spent on electricity bills provides more financial resources for these organisations to re-route into their core missions.

$1.8 million has been invested through the second round of the CCCEA program, and those getting a guernsey were formally announced yesterday – all 88 of them.

I was going to add up total solar capacity to be installed under round two, but time was against me. System capacities range from around 6kW to 100kW and there are quite a few batteries to be installed as well; ranging from 9.8kWh capacity to 28kWh.

Among the larger PV projects are a 100 kW solar power system installation at the Cat and Small Animal Care Centre at RSPCA Peninsula. On the battery front, a 29.9 kW PV installation with 28.8 kWh battery storage will be installed for Eastern Districts Polish Association (Melbourne) – Polish House Syrena.

100kW of solar installed in Pearcedale (RSPCA Peninsula’s location) can be expected to generate more than 133,000 kilowatt-hours annually – the equivalent electricity consumption of around 29 Victorian households. Savings from that system will certainly help pay for a lot of animal care.

The CCCEA funding doesn’t cover all the costs for each project – co-contributions from the groups are required on a 1:1 basis. The beneficiaries have until May 2023 to complete their projects.

Cutting Energy Bills By $1.2 Million A Year

The $1.8 million invested in Round 2 is expected to save the groups approximately $900,000 on annual energy bills. Last year,  the CCCEA program funded more than $1.16 million for community organisations, which has delivered $300,000 of annual savings according to the Andrews Government.

“We’re helping community groups reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by over 4,400 tonnes per year — bringing us closer to our goal of reducing Victoria’s emissions by 50 per cent by 2030,” said Victorian Minister for Energy Lily D’Ambrosio.

Other upgrades eligible under the program included switching to LED lighting, upgrading older air conditioning units or installing efficient electric hot water systems.

While it appears to be all over, red rover for the CCCEA program (for now anyway), groups who own their own rooftops can still get assistance to install panels via Australia’s solar rebate, which can knock thousands off the up-front cost of a system installation.  Unfortunately, the Victorian solar panel rebate isn’t available to community groups (or local governments).

There may be other solar/battery grants available to community groups in Victoria (and elsewhere), but I wasn’t able to find a comprehensive and up- to-date national grants search engine that didn’t require payment.