Merri-bek City Council has recently been awarded a $200,000 grant as part of the State Government's Victorian Neighbourhood Battery Initiative.
The grant, awarded by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, will fund a project led by Merri-bek City Council—in conjunction with the City of Yarra—to understand the potential value of using Council assets for future Neighbourhood Battery sites.
The Powerlink–Linking Council Assets to Neighbourhood Batteries Project will fund site-specific technical and commercial analyses, as well governance and community engagement, to determine the suitability of potential future Neighbourhood Battery sites within the municipalities.
A total of 20 sites will be assessed across Merri-Bek and the City of Yarra, with initial work on the project to commence shortly. Site specific community engagement and commercial analysis is slated for early-mid 2024 and the project is expected to be completed in August 2024.
Neighbourhood batteries are considered to be a key part of Australia's shift to renewable electricity and are expected to be vital to hitting renewable energy targets—soaking up excess renewable energy when its plentiful and dispatching it when it's needed most.
Merri-bek City Council Mayor Angelica Panopoulos said: "The Powerlink–Linking Council Assets to Neighbourhoods Project is an innovative partnership between Merri-bek City Council and the City of Yarra that cements our shared commitment to engagement and mobilization on climate action and the energy transition."
"Neighbourhood Batteries have the potential to provide our community access to cheap, renewable power and exploring partnerships within this space is an essential step towards accelerating the transition to renewable power in Merri-bek."
