Published on 13 March 2024
The Victorian Labor government has confirmed the Borough of Queenscliffe as a successful recipient of the first round of the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program.
Projects delivered through the $42 million program will improve local energy network reliability and remove constraints – keeping the lights on during power outages and allowing for more households to take up rooftop solar. The program will deliver funding to install four neighbourhood batteries for the communities of Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff.
Neighbourhood batteries - also known as community batteries - improve energy reliability and maximise the benefits of locally generated solar power. The batteries function as solar sponges, increasing local access to cheap renewable energy.
Mayor Isabelle Tolhurst stated ‘This is a tremendous win for our community and an acknowledgment of considerable work and advocacy from community over many years. The funding secured by Mondo enables the Borough to strengthen its capacity to generate energy locally and benefit community members and organisations in doing so. We thank the State Government for their support, our local member Alison Marchant for her commitment to this project, and encourage those interested in the initiative’s implementation to join the upcoming information session to understand what this means for the Borough.’
Council was approached by the Distributed Energy team of Mondo - a company pioneering in community mini-grids and energy hubs that empower homes and businesses to generate, manage, store, and share energy, and Queenscliffe Climate Action Now in late 2023 with a proposal for Mondo to make the application to the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries program. Council has agreed to facilitate the use of Council managed land to accommodate the batteries and is pleased to support the initiative as it delivers on the objectives of the community’s Climate Emergency Response Plan and supports the growing generation of renewable energy via rooftop solar systems by our community.
Mondo and the Borough of Queenscliffe will host a community information session, planned for April 10 to share the plans and next steps for the project. More information will be available on Council’s website in the coming days.
Click here to learn more about the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program.