Ballarat aims for 100% renewable energy

Committee for Ballarat has joined forces with more than 20 of Ballarat’s largest businesses and industries in an initiative aimed at transitioning the city to 100% locally generated renewable energy.

In partnership with AusNet and Mondo, Committee for Ballarat will provide technical support and advice to individual businesses to assess energy use and efficiencies along with the potential for new energy solutions.

The project will initially be focused on commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses in and around the Ballarat West Employment Zone (BWEZ) and include some of the region’s largest energy consumers, such as McCain Foods, Haymes Paint, Grampians Health Services, MaxiTRANS, Bartletts, Luv-a-Duck and UGL.

Committee for Ballarat CEO Michael Poulton said that Ballarat had rooftop solar and significant wind on its doorstep to generate renewable energy that could be shared and distributed within the community, building regional energy resilience.

“If we share local energy generation using smart metering and flexible management, store it for when needed and trade the excess, we will create a new decentralised network model,” he said.

“Decentralised networks are based on local generation and distribution and will help deliver lower costs to local consumers, strengthen energy resilience within our community and reduce our carbon emissions.”

“AusNet is pleased to partner with Committee for Ballarat and local businesses to develop this pioneering concept,” said AusNet General Manager for Distributed Energy Dhammika Adihetty.

“We look forward to working with the Ballarat Energy Network (BEN) to help them achieve their vision of 100% local generated renewable energy.”

Image caption: Sheep in front of canola fields and wind turbines, Ballarat. Image credit: iStock.com/Chris Gordon