Nestled in the foothills of the Australian Alps is Yackandandah, a small town with huge energy ambitions: to be totally renewable by 2024. Here's how they're doing it.
It needs a bunch of people willing to put in time and effort, plus some cash to get off the ground."The irony of that has not been lost on us," says Ian Fitzpatrick, an electrical engineer who lives a short drive out of town.
The fear was if folk travelled to a neighbouring town to fill up the car, they might pick up groceries and run errands while they were there, which would affect Yack businesses. And because it's community-owned, half the profits go to shareholders, while the other half's earmarked to fund community projects.
People who install such systems still have to pay for them, but TRY also applies for government grants and partners with other organisations for the town to be a testing bed of sorts.At the moment, Yackandandah is home to three community "microgrids": clusters of houses with solar, batteries and special devices that determine if a property uses solar power directly from its panels, stores it in batteries, sends it into the grid, or uses electricity generated by a neighbour.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NSW weather warning as widespread showers and thunderstorms loomMore wet weather threatens to prolong the flood crisis that has inundated towns and isolated communities. 7NEWS
Read more »
Surging rates mask hidden pain for banksWhen interest rates go up, banks normally make more money. But what happens when they go very high, very quickly?
Read more »
Russia: man shoots commander drafting residents for war in UkraineFootage shows gunman firing at official in Siberian city after saying ‘nobody is going to go anywhere’
Read more »
Want a peek inside the Caddick house? You’ll need $10,000 to get in the doorAs fraudster Melissa Caddick’s home goes on sale, see what is on offer for potential buyers.
Read more »
Want a peek inside the Caddick house? You’ll need $10,000 to get in the doorWant a peek inside the Caddick house? You’ll need $10,000 to get in the door | Kate_McClymont
Read more »