Helen Haines at Mt Beauty, CEN meeting Friday March 14th

CEN - NE Vic
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Here’s the agenda, hope you can join us. Please reply with your thoughts on updates, questions and asks or add notes to the rolling meeting log:

  • Meeting starts at 12:45 (room open from 12:30).

  • 1pm - 1:45: Helen Haines will join us. Welcome from Nick Mason-Smith (Indigo), Facilitated by Rob Carolane (Indigo Power Foundation).

  • Helen will be keen to hear our updates and questions.

  • 2pm: Indigo Power and surplus solar - Nick Mason-Smith will provide a presentation about plans for 2025.

  • Q & A

  • Please RSVP by replying to this email

  • Please register also if you are joining us online

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The meeting Minutes capture everyone’s updates. It is always so great to see how much work is underway. C4CE, TRY, Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability, VicGrid, Sustainable Uppper Ovens, Alpine FM, Murrindindee Climate Network, GVCE, Totally Renewable Beechworth, ACF Albury Wodonga, Renewable Energy Benalla, Mitchell CE, Repower Shoalhaven and TREK were all there.

Key points from Helen Haines
In this parliament Helen has advocated for:

  • Home Batteries bill

  • Better access to ARENA for CE groups

  • A tripling of the federal microgrid program

  • Funding for CE hubs

  • No-interest loans for batteries

  • The Dyer review which resulted in recommendations for improved community engagement on grid-scale projects

In the next parliament, the future looks somewhat uncertain but Helen asserted that:

  • CE groups do critical work with renters, low-income groups and other community groups

  • there are signs that both sides of politics are open to providing home electrification support via low- or no-interest loans

She recommended that CE groups should:

  • lobby and work with their local MPs

  • get their stories out there (local papers will print local stories if you write the copy)

Check out Helen’s work here.

Key points from Nick, Indigo Power

  • Midday is a time of lots of solar generation and relatively little demand

  • Indigo Power has looked at ways to:

    • encourage better use of locally-generated electricity
      i.e. by incentivising use of solar-generation in the local area when it’s generated

  • Resulting in the Energy Shaper plan for residential customers with its cheapest energy rate

    • 10 am – 3 pm, everyday, all year

  • Reducing costs and

    • encouraging use when generation is cheap and plentiful

    • accessible to those without their own solar system

You can find out more here.