Community Energy

VISION: Residents are active participants in a net zero emissions environment where the community:

has visibility of its energy consumption and renewable generation ability,
prioritises investment in renewable energy generation and infrastructure sufficient to meet community energy demands,
owns an ‘energy hub’ which is able to generate financial returns for use by the community to reinvest in sustaining environmental infrastructure.

MISSION: Generate and secure access to environmentally safe and affordable energy for all residents through promoting:

Knowledge development: Provide transparent information on energy generation and consumption and insights to smart technology options
Service accessibility: Enable affordable renewable energy options for all
Sustainable outcomes: Achieve net zero emissions and introduce a commercial energy model which is an improvement for residents over the existing retail environment

Image courtesy of Ausgrid

Our project values

In The Gap, we strive for a healthy natural environment and take action to address climate change. We also value the importance of individual self-determination in addressing energy management.

Our action plan:

The Gap Sustainability Initiative proposes to make energy choices by households easier by researching the technical and sustainability issues associated with such choices and presenting this freely to residents. Components of this research include:

accessing and communicating statistics about energy consumption and renewable energy production in the local community
promoting pathways for residents to access renewable energy including the development of a community ownership model as well as facilitating individual independent outcomes
explanation of smart technology within the choices of solar panels, solar panel optimisers, smart inverters, battery chargers, and control systems
investigation into a community battery system
opportunities to reduce energy consumption and minimise energy waste at the household level.

Image courtesy of Ausgrid

How you can get involved.

All are welcome to join this project and share views, access resources, and contribute their expertise. Reach out to Michael Boley using the below form or come along to one of our TGSI bimonthly working group meetings.

We are actively pursuing grants in order to engage sector specific professionals that can advance the initial phases of this project. We expect this early activity to take the form of structured community consultation and the development of a strategic implementation plan..