Grants of up to $70,000 are available in New South Wales to help fund early stage development of community energy projects, such as community-owned solar farms.
There has been a great deal of interest in community owned clean power generation facilities in Australia over the past few years, but one of the barriers for groups has been raising the funds to get the ball rolling.
Announced last week by Minister for the Environment Robert Stokes, the $700,000 Growing Community Energy grants program will finance pre-feasibility studies, community engagement and planning for renewable energy projects.
“This funding will open up the benefits that decentralised electricity can provide to local communities,” said Minister Stokes. “Projects that benefit low income families will receive priority.”
While solar panels and wind power are most commonly used in community projects, bioenergy and small scale hydro will also be considered under the program. Projects will need to have a final capacity of at least 70kW and funding will only be provided to legally incorporated entities.
The initiative is part of the NSW Renewable Energy Action Plan (REAP).
Applications will be accepted until 12pm, 15 December 2014. Successful applicants will need to develop a detailed project plan, agreed milestones and reporting requirements by 30 March 2015; with project delivery to occur by March 2016. Further information is available from the Office of Environment and Heritage website.
Last year, the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) provided $371,000 to nine community groups across NSW through the Community Renewable Energy Funding Program. According to OEH, there are currently at least 11 operational community energy projects in Australia and dozens more in the pipeline.
OEH also commissioned the Community-Owned Renewable Energy How-To Guide (PDF), which provides detailed information on developing community energy projects in Australia.
