Council has welcomed an announcement by the Labor party to fund a solar battery, which will enhance the capacity of the city's industry leading Virtual Energy Network (VEN), should they win the next election.
This project is a top priority in the Hobsons Bay Advocacy Strategy 2021-2025 and will accelerate the uptake of renewable energy, create local jobs and reduce the impacts of climate change.
The announcement was made by Chris Bowen MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and Tim Watts MP, Member for Gellibrand, at the Hobsons Bay Civic Centre in Altona earlier this week.
Mayor of Hobsons Bay Councillor Peter Hemphill said the addition of a solar battery could enable the benefits of the Virtual Energy Network to be shared across more sites in the community by providing access to on-demand solar electricity.
"The addition of a battery will enhance the investment we have already made into developing a Virtual Energy Network, which will eventually incorporate over 4MW of renewable energy across more than 50 Council owned buildings – the largest local government installation in Victoria," said Cr Hemphill.
"We have the technology available to accommodate a community battery and are engaging with the community to identify the most commercially viable options for facilitating low cost renewable energy for household and business use.
"The battery will also allow Council to provide power to more electric vehicle charging stations."
Council's Large-Scale Solar Project is well under way with 32 buildings fitted with solar panels, which exports power to other council buildings in the municipality.
The power generated is also supplying renewable electricity to some of Council's publicly available electric car charging stations.
The VEN has already significantly reduced Council's carbon emissions and generated impressive cost savings which have been reinvested into the community. The addition of a community battery would support this work.
