Strathbogie Shire Council has partnered with energy experts Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF) to bring Shire residents, businesses, clubs, farms, weekenders and off-grid properties the opportunity to learn more about solar energy and purchase at a bulk buy price.
Project implemented: July 2017
To offer equitable and affordable renewable energy for rural residents wanting to access energy at home and work.
The program installed half a megawatt of solar in the small shire of Strathbogie in under one year, avoiding over 25,000 tCO2-e, with approximately $250,000 of annual community savings on ‘black’ energy now going back into local families and communities. The Bogie Bulk Buy program was shared to a number of local councils who undertook similar programs, so these positive impacts are being replicated across Victoria and other states.
Increased trust in Council sustainability initiatives.
The Strathbogie Shire Council solar and battery bulk buy – otherwise known as the ‘Bogie Bulk Buy’ was born from a desire to offer rural communities energy equity on par with their counterparts living in metropolitan Victoria.
Community feedback has consistently shown Council that there is an appetite in rural Victoria for alternatives to fossil fuel energy and a desire to find relief from financial stress. Our feedback also showed that a lack of trust in provider information and services had prevented the majority of residents from taking up renewable forms of energy as their primary household energy source.
The rural energy experience is vastly different to metropolitan Victoria, including:
This project enables the council to support residents, businesses and producers to live smarter and healthier in a changing climate by empowering their communities to make decisions about their energy future and assisting residents in overcoming the knowledge barriers associated with purchasing solar.